With a bit of luck—and lots of talent and hard work—there are shows in a designer's career where the excitement in the room just crystalizes. It’s less about one particular look than a general bubbling up. Which is what happened at Alexandre Vauthier on Tuesday.
The designer used much of the past 24 months to think through what history tells us about fashion in a time of post-crisis. “What I found was that there’s always a resurgence of energy, with different cultural cross-currents, an evolution in musical tastes, and a desire for even more extreme kinds of diversion,” he said during an interview backstage. “Fashion is above all sociological, beyond the individual expressions of a designer. It’s a re-transcription of a social and geographical context through the designer’s eyes. It’s the synthesis, how you filter what you see and hear, that makes fashion interesting.”
After mulling it over, he decided to go all-out and explore new directions, channeling the decadent opulence of the Années Folles while playing with new cuts and proportions that, intentionally or not, appeared to nod to formative years spent in the studio with Thierry Mugler, who passed away earlier this week.
One major new development was working on the bias which, surprisingly, the designer had not often tackled before. Art Deco by way of Vauthier was “de-feminized and modernized” with boots. One standout was a silver slip dress made of tulle embroidered with hundreds of gradient shapes in mirror-finish rhodoid, an intricate piece that took thousands of hours to produce. Also compelling were Vauthier’s takes on the New Look by way of the 1980s. A strong-shouldered, draped peplum jacket paired with ample—even slouchy—trousers. An hourglass jacket paired with a tiny miniskirt was another look that channeled the heyday of power dressing.
Vauthier is also an ace of slink, and there were plenty of barely-there numbers that similarly clad front row fans will love. But there were also pieces that will appeal to clients who like their sass with more coverage (a leopard print suit comes to mind).
“I knew it was going to be complicated to do, but I wanted something new,” Vauthier said post-show. “If a small independent house like mine can send certain signals, that just might mark a new beginning. We've got to shake off the past two years.”
