Art and Architecture from Alaïa
Review of Alaïa Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Soft architecture. Flowing. Sculptural. Sensuous.
Spring 2025 saw Pieter Mulier deliver what may be his best collection for Alaïa yet, using Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic architecture to its fullest extend to close day one of NYFW in stunning fashion. As a caravan of models began to slowly descend from the heights of the building’s iconic rotunda, it was almost impossible to believe that no one had done it before, or that the building hadn’t been designed with that exact vision in mind.
Sinuous and sloping architecture worked it’s way throughout the collection itself, which furthered the house’s recent practice of creative constraint. Last season’s collection was made entirely from one merino yarn; tonight’s collection was crafted without using any buttons or zippers – and a tricky experiment, given that the house tends to rather buttoned and zipped. Prompted by a necessary loosening and softening of structures, Mulier experimented with draping, cinching, and stretch. It’s a testament to the way restriction can actually serve to unlock creativity, as the maison’s inventive craft was on full display, carrying forward in new ways Azzedine Alaïa’s practice of celebrating the body through impeccable and imaginative craft.
THE DIRECTION
For all the architectural experimentation, there were definitely some solid commercial moments as well, especially when it came to the very covetable bags which could be worn handsfree multiple ways.
While the intimate crowd of 250 was more than dotted with high-profile celebrity guests, the sense of artful sensitivity given to both the choice of setting and the collection extended into the invites as well, as that number included 100 young fashion students from Pratt, FIT, and Parsons, evincing a commitment to supporting the next generation of fashion innovators.
THE WRAP UP
The couture creativity of Azzedine Alaïa is alive and well. Peter Mulier demonstrates that carrying forward the heritage of a historic fashion house isn’t just about diving into the archive, but maintaining and carrying forward the same spirit of artful innovation and experimentation in the first place. For a few moments on the first day of New York Fashion Week, that spirit came stunningly to life inside the Guggenheim.
