Alexandre Vauthier (Q2596)
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Alexandre Vauthier is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Alexandre Vauthier |
Alexandre Vauthier is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Back before social media ran the world, Alexandre Vauthier wanted to get into fashion because “I wanted to be part of this bubble, one that lets you dream, but it wasn’t necessarily so accessible,” he said. “You had to work for it.” It rings quaint now, but point well taken: In a time wheneverythinggets served up on a digital silver platter, where does a designer go from there?“If you leave nothing to the imagination, what happens to desire?” Vauthier mused during a showroom visit. Never one to shy away from body-con, he prefers a tad more mystique: “Desire and fantasy are so much more interesting than pornography.” Those twin notions keep him moving forward, he offered.For spring, Vauthier plucked ideas from couture. A print with shots of primary color was lifted right from the sketches on his desk, he said. Sharp-hewn shoulders did all the work on an asymmetrical jersey top; a trench got sliced to crop length; a razor-cut jacket was paired with deep-cuffed denims. A bomber with generous curves channeled an ’80s vibe. Several iterations of jersey jumpsuits displayed a certain radicalness of line, most wearably in classic form but also in a highly photogenic, one-leg batwing number.For evening, metallics ruled. A brocade developed for couture was reimagined in Lurex with a touch of silk; liquid mercury lamé was worked into a nearly weightless party dress; and gold lamé got pleated into a statuesque hourglass number. A bronze lamé top—cropped, pleated, and as sculptural as a shell—was a standout. Also strong were a smattering of pieces not shown here, among them beach-to-dinner sequined summer knits and a little black hourglass dress with a starry backstory: The designer made one like it for Emmanuelle Seigner to wear onstage inBungalow 21, a play about Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller and Yves Montand and Simone Signoret in 1960s Hollywood, now running at Théâtre de la Madeleine in Paris. It had the kind of simple beauty Vauthier says he’s always after. That dress and a few other pieces here achieved just that.
30 September 2023
Alexandre Vauthier charted a different route for couture, ditching the flash of his spring outing in favor of neat shapes grounded in his mastery of cut, replacing boisterous colors with dense shades of black, and ebullient volumes with sharp silhouettes. “I’m not a reductionist, but the state of the world, the noise and the harshness surrounding us is pushing me towards a quest for balance, for grounding my work in its essential foundations,” he said backstage. Tellingly, on the soundtrack Erik Satie and Leonard Cohen took over the cutting-edge techno beats he usually favors.Vauthier revisited his repertoire “looking for sobriety and allure,” he said. He cast models like Karmen Pedaru, Carmen Kass, Élise Crombez, Georgina Grenville, “women who know how to walk,” who embrace their age while still looking breathtakingly beautiful with almost no makeup and hair just pulled back. Stilettos and needle heels were nowhere to be seen: stacked heels grounded the silhouette “in reality,” said Vauthier. “It’s not the time for opulence.” The color scheme hinted at a sort of neutrality, a toned-down, elegant canvas to emphasize individuality.Vauthier is a master tailor and this collection was proof of his ability to get inventive with the tools of couture—cut, construction, execution, savoir faire. While sticking to a slender, elongated silhouette, he played with variations of draping, unusual asymmetries, trains and capes to add sensuality and drama to long fluid dresses, or to tops worn with tight-fitting pants. Sartorial pieces had strong presence but no severity: a velvet pantsuit with satin sharp-edged lapels was cut with “millimetric precision,” he said. With the same rigor the designer approached the tailoring of a men’s suit, introduced here for the first time.Showmanship is ingrained in Vauthier’s fashion genes; there were a number of showstoppers that gave rhythm to the collection, like a black stretchy leotard whose back extended into a billowy cape densely embellished with tiny silver beads. Flashes of bronze and gold lamé, the rich textures of brocades, and the plissé ruffled rosettes exploding from tight-fitted tops worn with finely pleated leggings had high visual impact. No matter the quest for essentiality, Vauthier’s idea of allure is never too far from bold, confident gestures.
4 July 2023
Taking a noteworthy couture outing and tweaking it for ready-to-wear is pure common sense. What’s surprising with Alexandre Vauthier, however, is how neatly the fall collection echoed the untold orders of magnitude and more expensive numbers shown on the couture runway just five weeks before. In most instances, one would need to be told where the trick is—the clipped-on diamond studs; the cut of a rhodoid sequin; the calibration of a pouf; a bright orange tulle skirt or a sunset-hued iridescent bodice; or a black sequined pant now worked with a knitted base. On the racks, those pieces looked like the originals.Which is probably why Vauthier’s phone pings with requests even during a morning appointment in the middle of PFW: The circus is on, after all. Even so, the designer has reached a point in his life and career where he doesn’t feel the need to step into the ring. “A red carpet should make people dream; it’s not just for amusement,” he said over coffee, turning his phone facedown.Central to the process are relationships forged way back, notably while working with Thierry Mugler. A ready-to-wear version of the dress with the diamond-shaped rhodoid sequins, for example, was still produced in collaboration with Lesage. A pouf might have been in silk and polyester, but the visual impact remained. “What makes fashion modern is taking historic savoir faire and making it into something contemporary,” the designer said. It’s all in the paradox, in other words. Simply tricking out a sweatshirt will never make the grade.That said, Vauthier did push the cursor a bit for fall, filling out a high-octane story of orange, fuchsia, acid yellow, bottle green, and silver with “Prince” purple. (“We had to have a color to bring it all together,” he offered.) A dress laden with crystal chains and flowers didn’t make it to the couture runway but resurfaced here as a ’60s shift and miniskirt. An Art Deco–inspired silver dress with modified batwing sleeves looked like a winner. Faux-casual pieces, like crystal-studded velvet hoodies, embellished jeans, and a tuxedo jacket spliced together with a hoodie—and above all those Grace Jones–inspired hooded numbers—will be catnip to Vauthier’s base. So, too, will a burgeoning line of accessories, from thick diamanté cuffs and clutches to sculptural “crushed” boots in silver leather.
3 March 2023
At first glance, one might wonder why Alexandre Vauthier put faux furs in his summer couture collection. Those pieces came about because he noticed that clients were talking more and more not of cruises along the French or the Italian Riviera, but of heading north—way north—to steer clear of crowds and experience something new. Those customers still want to wear Vauthier’s hot little minis, but they need something to stay warm, too. The hunt for a suitable material turned up what the designer calls the most convincing, plush faux fur he has ever used, and he worked it in black, acid or bottle green, and hot pink, mounting the fabric upside down for volume, but also for fun.“We’re living at a crossroads which makes for anxious times, so with this collection I wanted to really play and show something very strong, with radical colors,” he offered during a backstage preview. This being the last time Vauthier was showing in a venue he loves—a former state bunker and future record company on the southern fringe of Paris—he wanted to go big.The faux fur was one of several twists in a collection that revisited signatures like razor-sharp tailored jackets or bombers, second-skin pants with quicksilver shine, and ultra-sassy hemlines. The designer put an explosion of hot pink flounces on two black velvet bustier dresses, giving one a modernized version of the pouf skirt, and the other a sensual, almost organic outgrowth of pink lamé. Teal sequins twinkled from hood to matching boots, an homage to Grace Jones. A tuxedo jacket dress was paired with an asymmetrical underskirt of hand-cut mirror-lacquered rhodoid, one of several pieces that put a couture spin on next season’s dominant motif—the diamond—while also breaking with traditional codes. (“I don’t want something officially royal,” he quipped).That thinking applied, too, to more quietly complicated constructions. A lean pair of trousers whose shape echoed the diamond theme via ever-so slightly slouchy, draped hips took 12 tries to get right. Extra-large puffed sleeves are, in fact, gloves. A black sequined bomber, shown short on the runway, can be loosened, unsnapped in the back, and worn long.Vauthier believes that couture should be “contemporary and forward-looking.” With this collection, his growing base is spoiled for choice.
25 January 2023
Among the things that make Alexandre Vauthier’s ready-to-wear compelling is that he harvests his couture collections to make it. A self-described agoraphobic, he’d rather wonk out in his studio over, say, how to nudge hand-cut “porcupine” sequins toward a ready-to-wear proposition for his clients to paint the town, than tag along himself. (“My cursor has moved,” the designer quipped.)Nights at Le Palace may be stardust now, but come spring Vauthier’s ladies will be painting the town in lashings of sequins or flashy, faded “liquid” denim, a new extrapolation of his embroidered pieces for couture. Primary colors—Klein blue, magenta, yellow—and their derivations, like emerald or purple, also took pride of place in a very ’80s register, shot here by Hans Feurer. “I wanted to feel sun, freshness, and make it a light summer,” Vauthier offered.Not that he took the ’80s too literally. “When you look at what’s happening in the street, it’s one big mashup,” the designer pointed out. “It’s like we’re synthesizing everything that we knew from before, before jumping into something new.” Vauthier described this season’s muse as “A girl of her generation, almost boyish, but who embodies femininity in all its power: beautiful, strong, and going places.”To get there, she might throw on one of the designer’s signature tailored jackets, a slouch-shouldered belted trench, and a T-shirt or a hoodie with structured shoulders and Vauthier’s Paris zip code. Or she could opt for something from a capsule of 10 semi-couture pieces, like an electric blue slip dress with a dozen or so gradient-sized sequins that cascade from the bust in ascending order. Draped jersey is Vauthier’s home base, and here it ran the spectrum from silver to black, perhaps cinched with a cowboy belt. Digital prints, too, made an appearance, in acid yellow flowers on a pleated black skirt. A few numbers in gold leaf-covered leather looked like solid investment pieces for the ages.Accessories-wise, Vauthier revisited the bucket bag, a shape he considers “super luxury, sophisticated but practical.” An Italian factory with mega-brand cred agreed to produce four sizes of a bag whose kidney-bean shape is designed to embrace the body’s natural curve (there were also silver and gold mini-crossbodies for evening.) Those were embellished with strass-set chains or gold charms like an “Alex boot”—the stiletto style that’s catnip to Vauthier’s base.
Speaking of footwear, the pant-boot shape the designer introduced five years back returned with added flourishes like a trompe l’oeil wrap detail that elongates to infinity and beyond.Office appropriate? Not exactly, but the collection was more about living life to the fullest, Vauthier mused. “Things aren’t as carefree as before, which is anxiety-inducing,” he said. The way he sees it, a designer’s role is either to translate what’s happening out there in the world or to remind people of “the beauty of things; to make them want to embrace life.” Vauthier is squarely in the latter camp.“I choose to see the glass as half-full,” he said. “I need to dream, to impress, to immerse myself in work and beauty.” For lack of a crystal ball, we might as well dress to the nines and make the most of it.
30 September 2022
Alexandre Vauthier likes his design to be exact—and spectacular. For him, sharp tailoring and provocative slink are two faces of the same coin, as they are in the best Frenchcouturetradition of Jean Paul Gaultier and the late Manfred Thierry Mugler. Not surprisingly, Vauthier worked for both of those geniuses, and in his style there’s a definite echo of their penchants for the cerebral as well as for the sexual, for the constrictive as well as for indulgent excess.Talking about excess, couture brings out the haute showman in Vauthier, his flair for showstopper pieces matched only by his incredible technicalmaîtrise. “It’s the Covid-19 paradox,” he joked backstage before the show. “There’s been a shortage of everything, so we had to come up with the most crazily inventive technical solutions to make the best out of the situation.” For one, his atelier handmade a version of thin, shiny feather-like rhodoïd fringes, which covered a see-through blackfourreau,capturing the light and giving off a nocturnal bird-of-paradise vibe. A sort of clubbing Papageno, so to speak.Vauthier gave the collection a rather seductive syncopated rhythm, playing over-the-top showstoppers shimmering with metallic silver sequins against strong suits of the strong oversized variety. “I wanted something extremely radical, very clean,électrique,” he offered, “something unilateral in its vocabulary.” Cue the reduced palette of stark black, a twisted-bourgeois shade of beige, a few shots of Yves Klein blue, and glimmers of silver, which let his mastery of cut and draping do the talking. The silhouettes alternated between sleek, slinky, and body-con, with revealing drapings stopping short of being overtly provocative, alongside trapeze or fluted asymmetrical shapes. Plays of frothy feathers and loose plissé panels added a further sensuous note to the already rather hot mix.What anchored the collection were the boot/pant hybrids; worn with almost everytenue, that had a sort of illusory effect, as it was hard to determine if they were just slouchy boots or actually “pants crashing onto a shoe,” as the designer described them. Either way, they gave the looks an extra-dose of French cool, the ineffable vibe that Vauthier seems to have mastered.
5 July 2022
As a follow-up to an “idea lab” of a couture show, Alexandre Vauthier said he was looking to shake things up a bit. He meant the clothes, of course, but he was also talking about his own vocabulary and process. “I wanted to stay with something chic but softer,” the designer said during a showroom preview. “I wanted to take things down a notch. We all need something a little gentler and sweeter,” he offered, drawing a parallel with the current trend for splashing out on pastries.In that spirit, Vauthier found ways of distilling his couture ideas, paring away feathers and flounces into ready-to-wear iterations with a similar allure. A long, one-sleeve white bias-cut satin dress from the couture runway was reincarnated, for example, in a different construction in jersey and viscose, which had the added advantage of being wrinkle resistant and therefore travel friendly. Another dress in red jersey covered in micro crystals, worn here by Karen Elson in look 6, followed the same logic. Embellished couture numbers, like a hand-colored gown embroidered by Lesage, found a fresh iteration in gradient red and black.Vauthier’s other passion, tailoring—a craft honed with Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier—appeared in ample trousers paired with a cinched jacket, in red velvet or black or white flannel for day, perhaps with a jeweled lapel. A solid lineup of leopard-print pieces ran the gamut from an ethereal dress and a trench to sweaters, as well as jeans in soft flocked denim. Other separates included Fair Isle sweaters with tonal strass or a standout velvet knit sweater with the season’s leg-of-mutton sleeves. (The feathers returned on an off-the-shoulder version in the same material.)“I want to hold on to the magic of the impalpable,” the designer said of his new techniques. “Even if we live at the center of luxury and sophistication, women work, and they are in the middle of it all. You can’t forget the product.”
4 March 2022
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.”
26 January 2022
Alexandre Vauthier knew something was up recently when sales of his shoes spiked—in three successive waves. “We sense that shoppers are back,” he said during a recent showroom visit. “A residual effect of COVID is that they don’t seem to want to hold back anymore.”To that point, a showpiece of a handmade coat—embroidered in ostrich and marabou feathers by Lemarié—was a party in its own right, an explosion of black, white, and the season’s jewel-tone blue, green, and fuchsia. Although not immediately apparent to the casual onlooker, it was mounted on a structure of crystal-studded bands. “I wanted it to be a synthesis of the collection—but also have it feel protective, like a giant pillow,” Vauthier offered.The price for that piece will probably land in the solid five-figures, but there were plenty of other options for more restrained tastes and budgets. True to his classic training—the designer got his start in Thierry Mugler’s studio— Vauthier presented a lineup of investment pieces like a meticulously sculpted hourglass jacket in black or tennis stripes to pair with easy, fluid trousers, and soft trenches with sharp lines in black, white, or beige. In a nod to one of the season’s key trends, a bandana print cropped up on tailored dresses, shirts, and skirts.The designer noted that the spring collection was “intense in terms of work, but straightforward,” creatively speaking. The same can be said of an ensemble in pleated jersey, which was new territory for him and neatly mixed couture techniques with comfort dressing. Another departure: chunkier knit tops that added raw texture and a sense of haute bohemian comfort to the lineup.But Vauthier is known and loved by many, including the likes of Beyoncé, Miley, and Rihanna for his showstopping party looks. At first glance, a dance-til-you-drop jersey dress covered in blue-tinged crystals might appear like a little nothing, but it is cleverly engineered like a poncho with a bodysuit inside (“otherwise you might as well throw on a tablecloth,” Vauthier quipped).Scanty though some items might appear on the hanger, Vauthier said he made a point of taking all kinds of morphologies, countries, and types of women into account in his proportions. Among the contenders in the inclusiveness category: a white jersey day dress, a belted dress made of T-shirt cotton, and a black dress in stretch knit with a handkerchief hem.
A handful of fringed numbers anchored by macramé, a strapless party dress in black sequins trimmed with ostrich feathers, and a handful of deceptively simple “beach dresses” for evening all looked ready for their close-up.
2 October 2021
Reviewing a couture collection via Zoom is as frustrating as looking at a succulentplateau d’huîtreswhile on a fasting regime. No matter how effective your wireless connection, the sublime handwork and savoir faire of the métier gets mostly lost in translation. “I’ve worked the collection focusing on the most amazing couture techniques,” said Alexandre Vauthier, trying his best to show this reviewer close-ups of his sexy all-black concoctions. But WiFi frustrations aside, Vauthier’s ebullience made this Zoom meeting as entertaining as any IRL showroom visit.Zinging back and forth across his showroom, he said, “The collection being monochrome is aparti pris, black is an excessively Parisian code. It’s also a sort of a metaphor of a clean slate from where to start anew after all we’ve been through.” Like Champagne and oysters, Diamonds and Black (as the collection was called) are amariagemade in heaven. Vauthier sprinkled his nocturnal numbers with crystal sparkle “like a night with a sky full of stars.”Paris via Nevada was the jazzy turn he took this season, giving the proceedings a sort of Folies Bergère–Las Vegas vibe punctuated by dramatic crystal fringed and feathered ponchos, Lesage-embroidered black leather perfectos worn over sequined bodysuits, and see-through pleated chiffon capes veiling crystal-embellished bikinis. A black-feathered, punky head-to-toe headdress fit for Le Lido was worn with a sweetheart-neckline, barely-there leather minidress, fringed with the help of Lemarié, while a heart-shaped feathered fluff of a dress was accessorized by a see-through plumetis catsuit and a pair of cowboy boots treated to couture therapy, studded and embellished with abundant crystal intricacies.Vauthier is a master tailor and has a trained eye for balancing dramatic excess with sophisticated restraint— a very Parisian attitude indeed, honed during his days at Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier. He introduced a few sharp-tailored options to offset the collection’s exuberance, among them a nonchalant three-piece tennis-striped suit with high-waisted wide trousers and a belted trench coat with an undulating storm flap. Impeccably made as they were, they nevertheless exuded the sexyje ne sais quoithat is a Vauthier signature. As he said: “French couture is all about the allure.”
6 July 2021
This meet-up with Alexandre Vauthier was a Zoom times two. First we got together on the near-ubiquitous platform (Teams trails second, Meets a distant third), and then this cyclonic designer began to ricochet around his showroom at maximum velocity.Bouncing from rail to rail Vauthier demonstrated how his ready-to-wear acts as aftershock to the ground zero couture ignition that precedes it. As he explained: “In the ready-to-wear I try to find the right balance between the idea of the couture, quality, sizing, and touch…the ready-to-wear is a real declination of the couture.” And does ready-to-wear ever trickle back up to influence his couture? “No, never!”Thus the creative energy used for this season’s nightclub-shot couture was harnessed and diffused into this street- and studio-shot collection. The fronded red ruffle-strewn lamé dress that captivated on the Le Palace dance floor was adapted into an equally arresting prêt-à-porter silver, along with a softer suite of white equivalents. The lilac-shot gray check suiting and slouchy cashmere coating was expanded to encompass multiple color stories—off-white, purple, blue, pink, and, of course, black—and to be within the reach of a broader financial demographic. Couture’s crystal-embroidered denim—some with Lemarié-applied feathering—plus glittering fringed mesmerizers, and cleverly gathered tuxedo jackets were all similarly reiterated. A nice wrist-to-wrist, wing meets capelet detail—also couture originated—flew on perfectos, caban coats, and trenches. Gold-set crystal pendants (produced in partnership with Goossens) and the first p-a-p iteration of Vauthier’s new Zanotti license starred alongside crystal-set berets and belts on the accessories table.As in most seasons, the contrast between his passionate pragmatism in conversation and hyper-efficient fantasy in design was exhilarating, even from afar. As our connection began to lag then falter—he was Zooming way too fast—Vauthier mentioned that his e-commerce will launch in May. Expect it to explode.
5 March 2021
Alexandre Vauthier is fantasizing about the day when we can all go out dancing again. During a recent showroom visit, the designer reminisced about raucous nights and early mornings at Le Palace back in the ’80s, when getting all dressed up was “the ultimate seduction” and worlds collided on the dance floor.“When you’re locked down, you realize that we live in an ultra-individualized society, and that’s anxiety-inducing,” he observed. His therapy: casting back to a world that he hopes will somehow return, meaning not just nightlife but the mash-up and buzz of runway shows as well.Vauthier easily admits it’s been decades since he haunted the dance floor, but the unbridled energy in his first-ever video, shot by Albert Moya inside the legendary Paris nightclub, feels immediate and familiar in all its vibrant color and Bowie-inspired pizzazz. The designer pointed out that several of the models had never actually seen outfits like his swingy silver fringed dress and matching boots, which required some 1,500 hours of hand work to produce. “Super scenic but easy to wear,” he offered. The boots were part of his first collection in partnership with Giuseppe Zanotti.Elsewhere there were dresses in crystallized stretch jersey and a liquid mercury lamé jumpsuit, feather fringe on flares lavishly embroidered with fireworks, and a featherweight, ruffled dress in red lurex velvet. Gravity-defying ruffles are a Vauthier signature, and the ones in this collection were particularly tricky to achieve, he said. Another statement piece—a multicolored rosette-covered bolero showered with crystals—was only finished after the shoot wrapped. But while some looks flirted with OTT—a peekaboo blue jumpsuit and a slithery burgundy sheath with sides cut to the hips spring to mind—not all were strictly for the dance floor.Vauthier has serious tailoring cred: The white ensemble that opens this look book neatly straddled then and now, as did a few ’70s-leaning jacket-and-shorts ensembles, for example, in Prince of Wales check, shown with gold boots. And whether or not they can paint the town anytime soon, the designer’s base is more than likely to keep circling back, again and again, for his way with a smoking, a perfecto, and a trench.
27 January 2021
Zipping around his new building with the pent-up energy of a man who said he’s been in semipermanent lockdown since March, Alexandre Vauthier reported via Zoom that not so long ago the thinking of his clients had provoked premonitions of doom: “At the beginning everybody was scared. So instead of thinking about buying clothes on Net-a-Porter, they were buying things online to clean the microbes from their house. After that they were online to buy food—they wanted to cook—because it was difficult to have someone to cook for them with the virus. And after that, as things got better, they got on the digital again to buy makeup, and then after that pajamas. And then—because they were becoming annoyed about the situation—they started to buy dresses to have dinner in on Zoom. It’s crazy!”Vauthier sounded rightly delighted about that development as he continued: “I’ve got two clients who ordered a couture dress for a Zoom dinner. So they set up the camera in the kitchen and had a cook and someone to serve the food, and they joined the dinner like this. We did not sell so much couture—because it was difficult for the fitting—but we sold a little bit, you know?”This Vauthier prêt-à-porter was, as he usually does it, a level down the pyramid from his last couture collection, but molded in the shape of that apex. Very enjoyable was the extreme sportswear—huge-leg track pants and sweats—cut in black tulle. The black short shorts and ruffled top Rihanna had just worn at the launch of her lingerie collection were over-wear as oh-yeah as any underwear, while the tailored Le Smokings in black or white were, as he observed, “super perfect.”There was a Halston factor in a collection featuring loose-leg sheer black jumpsuits and some sumptuous gold lamé pieces, including a miniskirt with a spaghetti-strap top—“oof, comme ça!”—as well as a wide-belted, big-skirted dress and another scene-stealing navel-neckline jumpsuit. Oversized animalia green-on-black velvet striping plus a metallic purple fabric shaped into exotic rivulets of ruffle both delivered extra extra-ness in a collection already emphatically rich in it.
3 October 2020
As lockdown lifted, Alexandre Vauthier moved his entire operation into an airy, modernized Haussmannian duplex in a quiet little street next to the Palais Galliera, the fashion museum of the city of Paris. In the run-up to the move, he juggled production to keep collections on track, switching hats from site foreman to logistics director and back to couturier just in time for this presentation.Business is back to “almost normal,” he said during a showroom visit. “It was great to see that things were possible despite an extreme situation. I didn’t want to leave anyone [on my team] behind, and I also needed to dream.”When Vauthier dreams, he dreams big and in vivid color, an aesthetic shaped during his early years at Mugler in that designer’s heyday. With his 30-strong team reduced to just five, he focused on what he does best, honing a tight yet exuberant collection with the specialized ateliers he loves, like Lemarié, Goossens, and Lesage.“A little bit interiorized, but focused on dreams of the exterior” is how he qualified looks that might as well lobby for a return to the social swirl. But until that happens, his loyal clients may well just go ahead and co-opt them for dress-up Zoom dinners.In lieu of a show, three image-making teams got carte blanche: photographers Karim Sadli (in Paris) and Inez and Vinoodh (in the Hamptons in New York), and videographer Albert Moya each put their own spin on Vauthier’s looks, premiering exclusively here.Revisited staples—a pale, spare trench with an ample back vent, a faultless black bustier dress, and several black trousers cut with laser precision—kept company with a sleeveless silk satin evening cape in blazing pink and feather-trimmed evening gowns in pink, black, or seafoam green chiffon that harked back to Hollywood’s golden era. Sequined or lavishly embroidered cropped jackets nodded to 1980s-era touchstones, as did tuxedo shorts (seen here with a hat by Philip Treacy) and a gunmetal sequined hybrid carrot/sarouel pant.Dance ’til you drop numbers included a strapless minidress in gold in Lurex velvet and a candy wrapper of a dress in hand-pleated fuchsia lamé on organza, its flounces held aloft by fishing line (seriously). The tiered gold lamé halter dress would be right at home on any red carpet, were those happening right now, but in any case it will keep forever, as will the black or white burnt ostrich feather chubbies.
The overall impression was one of weightlessness and insouciance—both obviously in short supply just now—regardless of the countless hours that went into making such confections. “Luxury is time, reflection, and especially not wasting,” the designer noted. By that, one infers he means not wasting your life in pajamas either.
7 July 2020
Compare this finely photographed fall 2020 look book with the runway photos for Alexandre Vauthier’s spring 2020 couture and you will see a great deal of overlap: This is the designer’s process. Couture is the good stuff that Céline Dion wears and that represents the apex of the project, while ready-to-wear is a carefully diluted version of that which has come before it. Here, the first two looks of each collection chimed to underline that connection, and there were further overlaps via Saharienne, gold stud pinstriped tailoring, organza triple-ruffle minidresses, and ’68 YSL–reminiscent sheer lace blouses. Fabulous Look 40 from couture was reproduced as a print on T-shirts under the wordcoutureand in foreshortened organza minidresses in three colorways. There was way more in Vauthier’s showroom than these photos show, including great flat thigh-highs, giraffe-pattern jumpsuits in jersey and sequins, and bow-tied silk sheath dresses. The designer said he had been locked in his studio since November but is poised to head off for a week of scuba decompression, before beginning his cycle of ascent from couture to prêt-à-porter afresh for the new season. Vauthier is a service-nonstop designer who delivers with great gusto finely cooked classics garnished with his signature twist.
28 February 2020
Individuality is themot d’ordrein fashion today—as it is in the world at large. We are all mini-universes unto ourselves, and we celebrate that constantly, in as many ways as possible, with as many self-expressive tools as possible—for better or worse. As far as designers are concerned, this mindset has given them freedom to go in as many creative directions as they like, often within the same collection. Coherence—or at least a certain cohesive style quality—has somehow become an overlooked thing of the past.Alexandre Vauthier’s couture collection tapped right into this zeitgeist-y mood. “It’s almost a story ofpersonnages,” he explained backstage before today’s show. “Women have very diverse horizons and their uniqueness is what constantly inspires me.” He worked on a rather extensive variety of shapes and volumes: Sharp tailoring androbes-boulle, etherealflouand ultra-theatrical volumes, and goddess-like draping and profusions of ruffles all played against strong-shouldered ’80s minidresses.“I imagined the show as the famous surrealistdiner-de-têteRothschild at the Château de Ferrières in 1972,” he explained, pointing out the incredible headdresses created by Philip Treacy. Hyperboles of sky-high exotic plumages or flame-shaped fascinators dripped in red glitter that you could’ve easily imagined in a Jean-Paul Goude photograph of Grace Jones. A “Le Palace in the 1980s” mood was also very much on Vauthier’s mind. The first look on Vittoria Ceretti was an homage to the sharp yet sensuous elegance favored by Paloma Picasso at that time: a black tuxedo worn on bare skin, paired with gray harem pants in wool gabardine.Throughout the collection, references to the ’80s alternated with more classic tributes to the savoir faire of couture ateliers. A sensational pouf minidress was made of concentric swirls of feathers, courtesy ofplumassierpar excellence Lemarié. An austere white-tie tailcoat with ample trousers gathered at the ankles could’ve suited the ambiguous charm of Tamara de Lempicka. A vast meringue of a dress was made with ribbons of plissé ruches in cerulean organza, its aristocratic debutante flair twisted by a pair of high-heel boots dripping in silver glitter.The mash-up of über-chic disco queens and extravagant French princesses was definitely what the collection was about. Vauthier knows pretty well that the essence of couture lies in the unlikely marriage of extravagance and chic—a pretty fabulous union indeed.
21 January 2020
Kerry Washington at the Emmys, Zendaya at the after-party, and the evening before our appointment, Nicole Kidman in Monaco: Alexandre Vauthier is a red carpet dynamo. Following two successive eyewear campaigns with Alain Mikli featuring Christy Turlington and Kate Moss, Vauthier said this lookbook with Eva Herzigova was a continuation of that story—“but for the house”—and with its lens suitably widened to take in the clothes.As ever, the clothes on offer for the season ahead were an adaptation, declination, and expansion of Vauthier’s couture ideas in ready-to-wear. There was a strong ‘masculine’ element: Vegas-cut tuxedo jackets with peak lapels widened and raised to the shoulder were cinched around color-edged ruffle shirts and worn over cigarette pants. Houndstooth, pinstripe, and textured tartan in black and white jacquards and weaves made for forgiving yet powerfully silhouetted tailoring and skirt suits. The oversize gabardine trench had Bogart cool.Vauthier’s Mugler and Gaultier pedigree, combined with a deep knowledge of both his craft and client makes him, however, a designer who is strongest when working in the context of the ‘feminine.’ His black wet-look sequin backless orchid hemmed dresses and plunging neckline jumpsuits, his black sheaths set with arresting pink ruffle, and his layered and ruched peplummed corset top in pink silk were all efficiently impactful, like well-executed boxer’s jabs. A strong-shouldered long hemmed pistachio jersey dress with a fulcrum of gather at the midriff was Bacall beguiling. These clothes were ample demonstration of this designer’s simultaneously impactful and fuss-free approach to statement dressing.
28 September 2019
At more than half the couture collections so far this week, a tailleur has opened the show. While that’s not exactly headline-making news, it is interesting that designers are finding a receptive audience for made-to-measure tailoring. That was Alexandre Vauthier’s message today. “Couture,” he said, is “aussi pour le jour.”Vauthier is an accomplished technician, and he pointed out that much of the work in this collection was done by hand. Women in the market for a sharple smokingcould do worse than the one he showed at the top of his show with a ruffle-front white shirt, bow tie, and pink carnation pinned to its exaggerated lapel. His other jackets had a more oversize proportion, cut boxy and with big shoulders in an ’80s vein, which accentuated the attenuated silhouette of his midi skirts and super-brief running-style shorts.As for flou, Vauthier avoided the grandiose gowns typical of many couture designers. For every strapless pouf, there were slinky draped jersey dresses studded with grids of Swarovski crystals. In the past, that kind of sexy fare was standard issue chez Vauthier, but he prefers a sweeter, more romantic look for the most part now. His palette was black, white, and baby pink, pulled from a hand-painted print of flowers that he used on a pair of dresses: the first a shirtdress with a lampshade skirt and the second a strapless number with a train. The after-dark stars were the shapely yet understated LBDs cinched at the waist with silk ribbons and blooms.
2 July 2019
Shortly before Alexandre Vauthier’s most recent couture show in January, he felt a twinge in his neck. He shrugged it off—as you do with apparently minor niggles when the heat is on—and proceeded to present a typically powerful collection that was memorably attended by Céline Dion wearing a smoky eye and a Vauthier dress split soprano-high.Hence the neck brace when Vauthier bounced into his studio this evening. Happily, he is on the mend (lots of TLC and osteopathy) and he hasn’t let the injury distract from his machine-gun schedule. There was Beyoncé’s couture dress at the Oscars—“I am super happy about it; she looked super cool,” he said—and the preparation of this ready-to-wear collection. A more evening extension of Vauthier’s most recent pre, it is also a forensically focused offering that speaks to its couture cousin.Vauthier said growth has been consistent over the nine years he has been in business, but added: “Every six months, I organize everything depending on the sales and the results. And I work to develop the most important things—which are the quality of the clothes and the accessories, the metronomic rhythm of the delivery, and the right production—to be superefficient.”This collection ran the gamut from tailoring to the plissé mega-skirts via long, strong silhouetted jersey dresses and strapless minidresses with black sequined skirts and bow-tied bosoms in white silk. Ruffled layered animalia and full-volumed, same-pattern brocade and bouclé aplenty were on offer as partners to a rapidly growing selection of mid- to high-heeled sandals, knee-highs, and booties in cream, black, or shades of blush to beige, sometimes accented by Swarovski.“I try to be super coherent,” said Vauthier. He is, and super-dedicated too. It will take more than a mere pain in the neck to slow him down for even a heartbeat.
1 March 2019
At Alexandre Vauthier’s show today megastar Céline Dion caused a paparazzi frenzy. A vision in a black sequined number by the designer, Dion is one of many celebrities who favor his peculiar take on French-flavored glamour. “In this collection I worked on the very essence of French couture: le chic Parisien absolu,” he explained. When asked to expand on this rather elusive notion, Vauthier mused: “It’s really a question of allure, of certain color codes, the good balance between, say, embroidered or not embroidered. It’s the chic of having clothes with an impeccable cut, on which hours of artisanal savoir faire were spent, but which don’t look ostentatious or too exuberant. I wanted to express a balanced luxury, but extreme.”Vauthier worked on different silhouettes. “I always want to challenge myself,” he said. One of the more obviously couture-ish shapes was slightly ’60s-inspired, as in an ultrashort velvet pouf skirt worn with a bolero embellished in gold embroideries over a pristine white shirt, or a micro pouf dress (you cannot go shorter, really) in black sequins with a white taffeta bow at the front. On the same note, a pair of satin boxer shorts showing plenty of legs were balanced by a round-sleeved white jacket, a sort of progressive version of a tuxedo, worn with a white shirt and a little black bow at the collar. The contrast between masculine and feminine accents had a rather sexy vibe.Vauthier indulged his love for glamorous flourishes in a series of ruffled numbers likely to make Rihanna, Beyoncé, and all his showbiz clients swoon. “I worked with Maison Lemarié in developing the technicality of ruffles. We came up with some pretty incredible shapes,” he said. Indeed. Ruffles became inventive collars, sleeves, blouses, or imaginative minidresses, sinuous and undulating in silk satin, or sculpted and substantial in taffeta. A gorgeous cloud of black ruffled tulle was actually a flimsy long-sleeved top, grounded by a pencil-thin pair of silk capri pants. Tracing the plunging décolletage of an animal-printed minidress, ruffles were cut elliptically, suggesting a dramatic pair of wings.The designer also worked on a more fluid and sensual silhouette, at times a bit androgynous, as in a few sharply tailored pantsuits. They were inspired by Françoise Hardy, the moody French chanteuse who had one of the coolest personal styles of the late ’60s.
Hardy was also on the soulful soundtrack—quite a departure from the designer’s usually stronger musical tastes. “In this moment all I want is chic and softness and un peu de poésie,” Vauthier said. “We designers are like barometers. It’s absolutely not the time to go for an aggressive approach.”
22 January 2019
“Now if only he would consider bringing back the jeans,” wrote Amy Verner of Alexandre Vauthier at the climax of her typically incisive review of his overwhelmingly ooh-la-la couture collection this summer. In the Vauthier showroom today, the designer heard that plea via a ready-to-wear collection that took its lead from couture, but which widened its nighttime aperture to encompass the elevated daywear AV1 asked of AV2. And yes, there were jeans: in a powerful industrial orange and teamed with an elongated denim trucker with a reflective line of crystal at its frayed hem. As Vauthier allowed in excellent English spoken so fast it was tricky to type in time with it: “You don’t want to be sexy all day from 8:00 a.m. in the morning, so there are dresses with sleeves, a T-shirt with a skirt or pant.” And, of course, the denim.N.B.: Of course, sexiness is a) relative and b) by no means entirely defined by clothes. Furthermore, Vauthier’s daywear was hardly sackcloth, it was just dialed down a bit from the night. Instead of femme fatale think femme demi-fatale.Elsewhere, there was a wide selection of gold-buttoned, all-satin Le Smoking suits and miniskirts and wildly ruffled monochrome short dresses in silk: pieces which ascribed to the classic French codes Vauthier explored so thoroughly in couture.The tiger embroideries that had spellbound Verner at that show were here translated into printed, ruched, short jersey dresses and long, sheath-like jersey dresses. They were etched in three shades of sequin on versatile cotton jersey T-shirts. An extremely thorough selection of shoes veered from the dress-accenting pumps featuring bows, crystal, or pearls to a hilarious high-heel knee-high whose upper mimicked the arm of a bomber jacket. This came in either that whoa-there orange or flecked with the gold or red sequins also seen on the tiger tees. Vauthier seems like a supremely assured character who knows exactly what he’s doing, and precisely for whom he’s doing it. Added bonus: Now Amy can get those jeans she’s been hankering after since July.
28 September 2018
Yesterday was bookended by two very different visions of Paris and its chicest locals. At Chanel, they strolled along a simulacrum of the Seine passing the bouquinistes in split-layered tweed suiting and layered statement dresses—not a single pair of pants but a strong focus on daywear. By early evening, Alexandre Vauthier had created a private club-type setting through which they strutted wearing thickly belted tailleurs, slinky crystal-studded dresses, and pheasant-feathered frocks. Think ’80s femme fatale viaVictor Victoriacabaret, only the soundtrack was the latest Kanye West/Kid Cudi drop.“These fashion codes are like absolute rules, much the same as Haussmann architecture—we know they function. A beautiful plissé will always be a beautiful plissé; a perfect black jacket will always be a perfect black jacket,” he said. “The modernity and the interest for me comes from re-transcribing them with new techniques.” The designer, incidentally, uses the ateliers owned by Chanel’s Paraffection subsidiary for his intricate pleating and embroideries—even the vamp boater hats, which were realized by Maison Michel; so there is legitimate overlap between the two collections via the talentedpetites mains.But this comparison mainly serves to highlight how night-focused Vauthier’s direction has become. It wasn’t so long ago—the Spring ’17 collection, to be exact—that he was proposing embellished jeans, men’s shirting, and motorcycle pants amid his couture lineup. If this offering reaffirmed the rigor of his suiting and the sexiness of his strapless dresses, it was missing those ultra-elevated everyday pieces. In their place as investment pieces were ample black trousers—a look that French editors already seem to be adopting anew—any of the black dresses delicately inlaid with lace, and maybe also the close-cropped black jacket with its sharp white double collar and crystal-covered placket. On the spellbinding end of the spectrum were gowns fully covered in tiger embroideries, a tiered dress that took five days to trim with strass, and an impeccably pleated ball gown skirt in zesty yellow. The python putty-color cropped trench might have seemed like an outlier but actually played into the collection’s animalistic overtones. No doubt the price will be wild.But one wonders about the interest for him in explicitly revisiting notions that trace back to Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, and Claude Montana among others.
“It is important for a new generation of clients to appreciate the iconic references,” he said. So this couture season, as Chanel does Chanel and Dior does Dior, Vauthier is ostensibly assuming the mantle of glamour’s leading defender. Which is why his pieces will continue to seduce Beyoncé, Brigitte Macron, and all the private clients in between. Now if he would just consider bringing back the jeans.
4 July 2018
Bella Hadid will walk several marquee shows during a fashion season, yet, to a large extent, she has become Alexandre Vauthier’s leading lady. Not only does he make sure she stands out on his haute couture runway, he managed to woo her for these ready-to-wear images. In her, he has found the ideal embodiment of youthful, high-octane glamour—the type of muse who can wear a sparkly purple draped minidress as naturally as a T-shirt.As always, this lineup echoed Vauthier’s couture offering from January. From a distance, you would barely be able to detect a difference in these iterations of lustrous tartan, or the ceremonial jacket that memorably nodded to Manet’sYoung Flautist. But to expand the offering, more pertinently, Vauthier used couture’s key color statements—ruby red, violet, and English green—as a springboard for velvet down-filled jackets, crystal-buttoned blazers, denim, animal-stripe sequined numbers, and metallic stiletto boots. Depending on how heavily each retailer buys into the collection and then merchandises the selection, these fleshed-out tonal groupings offered a nicely conceptual twist to his usual approach. His crystal-studded jeans were back, probably by popular demand, and with the finely constructed Spencer jacket or big-sleeved blouse in black, you could easily achieve Vauthier’s signature chic without looking so bombshell.The designer showed off the latest issue ofW, which includes the campaign of back-to-the-future eyewear—a collaboration with Alain Mikli. Here, you find Kate Moss all cheekbones and ’80s allure. Regardless of whether his look speaks to you (or whether it needs to speak of our time), his poster gals continue to speak to his desirability.
4 March 2018
The Alexandre Vauthier show was so lavishly New Romantic, but it was also so . . . Manet? Have a glance at the second look; it’s as though the painter’sYoung Flautistfrom 1866 has evolved into a fabulous music icon. The designer confirmed the reference, and added that the penultimate look was his “dark Pierrot”—a little Jean-Antoine Watteau, a littleBlack Swan. Let the purists scoff; at least these fine art interpretations have resulted from fine fashion craftsmanship. And that’s the thing about Vauthier: For all the extremely sexy extravagance, he has an exacting eye and an individualist spirit. “I like that it’s a little anarchic but with the codes of couture,” he said.Amid a runway staged with caging and neon lights meant to evoke a London nightclub, he expanded on last season’s Parisian disco fantasy with even more oomph: Gold tartan and zebra embroideries developed by Lesage, cascades of costume jewelry brooches from Goossens, reams upon reams of tulle, and purple alligator breeches were just a sampling of ingredients that contributed to his “aristo-punk” looks. Bows may have been extra-large; poet blouses extra-ruffled; shoulders extra-peaked; and Bella Hadid’s finale dress extra-short—yet the excess felt cathartic in some ways. So far, the collections elsewhere have been so seriously pretty, but Vauthier simply continues in the opposite escapist direction. Nevertheless, you can be certain these looks will make the leap to real life as a steady stream of photo ops. The slinky crystallized jersey dress in lipstick rouge would be an obvious stylist pick for an actress; the tartan frock coat worn with white jeans could prove a front-and-center editorial pick. His boots—holographic and pirate-style or chicly wrapped in plumetis—will be everywhere.With this collection, Vauthier’s early years working for Jean Paul Gaultier came through more than usual, and the whiff of Yves Saint Laurent was unmistakable, too. But remove the sprays of tulle and blinged-up belts, and some rather dynamic investment pieces remain: a draped hoodie in clouds of silk or a perfect silk velvet bolero. As for the eyewear, the designer has collaborated with Alain Mikli, and the campaign, released today, features Kate Moss wearing two of the ultra-sleek styles. If anyone is suited to revive such a retro-future, ’80s must-have, it is Vauthier.
24 January 2018
According to Alexandre Vauthier, when David Bellemere was shooting Luna Bijl outside the Hôtel Le Meurice earlier this week for the designer’s lookbook, drivers on the Rue de Rivoli didn’t hold back on the honking. Hardly a surprise; Vauthier’s clothes exist to stop traffic. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but there’s no question these ready-to-wear looks signal the Parisian va-va-voom of his most recent haute couture collection, only now within (relative) reach. Should you have an occasion that merits the same daring violet metallic jersey dress and boots worn by Aurélie Dupont, the dance director of the Paris Opera Ballet, to the opening gala last week, you’re in luck. Despite the switch to lamé, its slinkiness is, for all intents and purposes, identical.Of the looks that Bellemere shot throughout the hotel—from Alain Ducasse’s kitchen to the Salvador Dalí suite—there were others that differed only in surface detail. Sequins replaced Lesage embroidery on a hot little number ringed in a ruffle around its one shoulder, for instance. Given that this lineup delivers in Spring, couture cashmere would be moot, anyway. Arguably, these cotton voile polka-dot dresses put an easier spin on 1980s chic than the haute originals in stiffer silk organza.Moving past the comparisons, Vauthier’s proposition arrives at a time when a nod back to such a glamorous moment feels welcome. As someone who will never dabble in ugly or eccentric, his strass-spotted jean jackets and micro-studded slip dresses not only feel most authentic, he said they are increasingly sparking interest among retailers who know that, eye-roll if you must, sex always sells.That said, let’s suppose you were the wife of a dashing, driven president who defied all odds, you would still find any number of Vauthier’s statement jackets and tailored pants to request for state visits and official ceremonies. Understandably reserved about his rapport with Brigitte Macron, he seems chuffed all the same. Vauthier didn’t say as much, but her ongoing interest in his structured blazers validates his vision in a way that goes far beyond the buzz he gets from Bella.
29 September 2017
The show started just after 8:00 p.m., but it may as well have been after midnight. Magenta light enhanced by a disco-ball aura bathed the upper gallery of the Grand Palais, and the zigzagging runway felt more like a path to the dance floor. Then Bella Hadid (and her barely sheathed boobs) made an entrance as though she were a militant seductress ready to discipline anyone unwilling to have fun. With this collection, Alexandre Vauthier gave every indication that he enjoyed the process of reviving the excellence and exuberance of ’80s haute couture. “The idea is take the best from the past to advance forward,” he explained of his throwback glamour. So he toyed with asymmetric nipped-and-tucked volumes; treated draped colorful lamé like liquid metal; and turned necklines into grand canyons. But it wasn’t just about sexy special effects; the tuxedo jacket paired with city shorts, polka dot silk organza minidresses, and gauzy white shirts ruffled with extra flourish were simple ideas executed to peak Parisian panache and topped with a stylized fez. Vauthier put it best: “Excessivementchic.”Not to mention unique, as in, no two models looked alike despite the repetition of visibly shoulder-padded base layers and leather glitzed out with Lesage embroidery. Given how frequently his designs get photographed off the catwalk, Vauthier delivered enough to tide over all the PYTs—so long as he ensures slits don’t reach quite as high as the one in Hadid’s second outfit (she actively guarded what little modesty remained). But clients scanning this show for looks less soiree-specific may have found a narrower range; gone were last season’s couture jeans and tweed motorcycle jackets, for instance. In general, though, the little black jackets in alpaca, cashmere, and silk might qualify as his best yet. And because the lamé was foil heat–transferred to jersey, women will likely benefit from both maximum impact and maximum comfort. When these latest ideas trickle down—and they will—the customers who place orders for his clothes can feel smug that their laced Perfecto is the supplest alligator, not just stamped leather, or that their feathery boots and stoles contain strands of cassette tape. Rewinds don’t come splashier than this.
5 July 2017
If Bella Hadid has had an exceptionally busy start to 2017, she still made time to openAlexandre Vauthier’s haute couture show in January, then fill the pages of his uber-sleek lookbook, as shot by David Bellemere. She looked rather flawless on the runway, yet somehow looked even better here, owing perhaps to her dramatic body language and a sleeker look. The clothes, meanwhile, amounted to something of a savvy déjà vu. Vauthier quite literally has the luxury of parlaying the ideas developed for couture into ready-to-wear, modifying the details in order to scale up the production. The looks correspond well, such that the one-shoulder numbers featured sequins instead of Swarovski crystals, and the tricked-out motocross sweater with mohair incrustations of even more crystals had become a pared-down color-blocked hoodie. People might have difficulty distinguishing between the tweed specially woven by Maison Lesage and the new one redone by a machine.Lest this seem as though Vauthier is designing two collections for the time commitment of one, he assures this is not the case. Notwithstanding the challenge of sourcing fabrics as close to the couture originals as possible, he must also determine all the micro-adjustments that are necessary when couture fittings are not an option. What’s more, the pieces can’t look too identical, or else he undermines both his craftspeople and his one-percent clients. Which, among other reasons, is why the collection and the corresponding footwear range addressed additional aspirational concerns. The ivory caban, cable-knit sweater, and pants add up to a jet-set bet, whereas the ’80s electric blue leather jacket could be worn with ripped jeans for that quintessential off-duty-model look. Seriously though, amid enough LBDs to outfit his main roster of muses without fear of repetition, the down-filled black velvet coat stood out as the true sleeper hit. A little femme fatale, a lot of comfy, it gave the impression of being dressed up no matter what is or isn’t underneath.
4 March 2017
For some time, Alexandre Vauthier has returned to the same drawing board: “How to propose couture, but differently.” And what results is unambiguously fierce—easily the fiercest of any designer who shows during this rarefied week. With this collection, he once again delivered the “how” thanks to sizzling looks so flawlessly fitted that a draped minidress or leather motorcycle pant showed no margin of error. He also, however, seemed interested in working through the “whys”—as in, why the perception of couture remains so narrow and why it needs to be different. This is the first time he presented in the Grand Palais, and he took the grandness that has defined the craft and rescaled it to gutsy effect. Take Look 9; from behind, the gigot-sleeved, full-skirted mass of red faille could have been mistaken for a state dinner ball grown. From the front, it proved to be a crop top paired with denim shorts that were decked out with a Swarovski crystal waistband. The presence of tweed, handmade by Maison Lemarié, was an obvious bid to signal familiar made fresh. Likewise all those ’80s-style necklines and one-shoulder silhouettes that were removed from their heyday of peak pouf and implanted onto the littlest black dresses. Coquettish plumetis from the past looked newly empowered as the counterpoint to angular panels of velvet. And when the classical art of draping was performed on metallic red leather, the barely there result seemed destined for the (Victoria’s Secret) Angels of our time. Vauthier said his goal was “extreme desirability,” adding, “It respects the workmanship by giving something new, not ceremonial.” Notably, he isn’t normalizing couture so much as making it exciting to wear. Where other houses are hedging their bets with elegance, he trades in high-octane energy. Visibility, too. It’s no stretch to imagine Bella Hadid or Kendall Jenner, who opened and closed the show, respectively, continuing on with her night in the Lesage-embroidered motocross hoodie and a pair of Vauthier’s jeans.
25 January 2017
Christophe Decarnin’s 2011 departure fromBalmainleft a void in the market for a particular sort of strong, sexy, slick rock chick. It seemsAlexandre Vauthierhas stepped in to fill it. This, by the way, is a development that has not gone unnoticed by Vauthier’s high-profile fans such asBella HadidandRihanna, who rely on the designer for traffic-stopping, figure-flattering party clothes like perfectly tailored tuxedos, feather bustiers, double-sided sequined organza gowns, and cropped hoodies—all of which work for club appearances, airport style moments, and red carpets alike.Vauthier’s most recent lineup reflects a relaxed perspective, one that was probably influenced by the fair amount of success he has already achieved. He has taken a breath, and it shows. This collection was substantially larger than previous seasons’ offerings. Knitwear was the latest addition to the mix, which already includes shirting and shoes. A body-con miniskirt trimmed in gold hardware seemed destined to sell out, not least because it will be, Vauthier promised, “fairly priced.” A densely embroidered mirror-and-diamanté Perfecto and miniskirt may be slightly more cost prohibitive, but I would take bets that the ensemble will turn up on some lucky back before Paris Fashion Week ends.For the millennials seeking their own viral moment, there were fishnet sleeveless hoodies, gravity-defying jersey separates, and boyish cotton undies with Vauthier’s name on the waistband. But more intriguing were the moments when the designer pulled back and really showed off—as with an expertly tailored black tuxedo or a structured minidress in a menswear twill he developed himself. A brushed-cotton coatdress in military green was all clean lines, nipped-in waist, and strong shoulders, the very picture of subtle, sophisticated sex appeal. It was also a lesson in rising above the scramble for Instagram likes: Real style doesn’t need to shout for attention.
30 September 2016
It was only a matter of time beforeAlexandre Vauthierarrived at camouflage, what with his vision of strong, empowered women. The fact that his fatigues were festooned with large Swarovski crystals—the antithesis of inconspicuous—was beside the point. He had enlisted an elite group of models (Bella, Jourdan, Lindsey, Soo Joo, Hana, Jamie) and dressed them as couture commandos: squad goals, redefined.Vauthier extended the message with a flight suit in python and a military sweater in high-ply cashmere with alligator panels. He also reimagined a saharienne parka as a wrap dress, while using army green as the basis for dramatic waist bows and a deconstructed gown. Mercifully, he never allowed the forceful theme to overtake his sleek suiting and seductress eveningwear. Of special interest were hybrid looks, such as the down coat in black silk velvet paired with reversible sequin leggings, and the flawlessly fitted suit that would go into constant wardrobe rotation like a uniform. The designer is hawkeyed about technique; he had plumes positioned upward defying gravity, and used acid green micro crystals hand-glued to woven mesh instead of metal to boost the fluidity of fabric—not that fabric was the right word for something so barely there. But such lightness was juxtaposed with pants and a jacket in python-ish silvery embroideries from Maison Lesage and riveted belts, wrapped almost seamlessly, coiled into minidresses. This collection, arguably more than any from Vauthier’s past, favored svelte bodies and no-nonsense dispositions, even though the relaxed, bejeweled camo cargo pants and white shirt was easily the coolest look. The scandalous red dress worn by Bella at Cannes reappeared here, now in double-sided sequins that can be manipulated into camo-like patterning. The question is not if it will strike, but how soon.
5 July 2016
Let it never be said thatAlexandre Vauthierdoesn’t understand his customer. When it comes to a certain breed of much-photographed young celebrity—the Kardashian-Jenners, the Hadids, and those who aim to look like them—Vauthier has cornered the market. His easy-to-wear ensembles hew to the monochromatic, the sexed-up, and the occasionally asymmetrical, in line with a sort of hyper-stylized minimalism popular with most of those starlets big sisters. But, above all, they are easy to throw on before turning yet another paparazzi attack into a photo opportunity. There is a reason thatBella Hadidwore a plunging black number by Vauthier to theGrammys. “She loves what I do,” said the designer with a shrug, midway through the presentation of his new Fall collection at his airy, sun-splashed studio right off the Avenue Georges V. Knowing where to suck in and where to spill out has clearly served him well.The clothes were typically tight and black and plunging, unless they were sheer and black and very, very short. A khaki colorway held sway for a few looks, as did a lipstick red—most vibrantly in aThriller-esque patent jumpsuit with jutting hip pockets—but almost everything else came back to black. Vauthier understands that the modern It girl on the prowl needs to be ready for anything—coffee and errands in New York, a red carpet in L.A.—and so he has offerings for all occasions, from black-tie Swarovski-beaded gowns to day frocks, military-inspired coats, sleeveless jogging suits, and logo-bearing T-shirt dresses. Shoes were a new endeavor, and while most were stiletto-heeled and party-ready, flat combat boots and slip-on sneakers were also represented, with, Vauthier explained, more flats on the way.Knitted body-con dresses in a tonal cheetah print felt a little uncomfortably close to that grand master of sex appeal,Azzedine Alaïa, but they were nonetheless the type of thing that promises to fly off shelves. In fact, a black body-con piece with strategic sheer cutouts had already walked out the door a day previous on—who else?—Bella Hadid, en route to theBalmainparty. See? He knows what he’s doing.
4 March 2016
The first three looks from Alexandre Vauthier’s Spring couture show were nearly identical: a black caban adapted from the 19th-century École Polytechnique uniform, black base layers not long enough to qualify as a dress, and laced boots almost high enough to compensate for such risqué lack of coverage. The repetition wasn’t a matter of being spoiled for choice; it was his way of reiterating the exact construction of a piece that, more than any gala gown, should top a woman’s couture wish list. The corresponding sleeve variations—long, short, and sans—addressed tailoring subtleties not noticeable to an amateur eye.Still, any warm-blooded human could be forgiven for focusing on Vauthier’s other obsession: the bombshells who bring his brand of sexiness to life. He imbued them with an unparalleled Parisian attitude—at once strong-willed and romantic—and dressed them in his turbo-charged versions of tailleur and flou: from a jumpsuit in red patent leather, slicker than wet nail polish, to asymmetric shirtdresses pleated in variable dimensions by specialty maison Lognon. Some of these wildly diaphanous looks would have begun as simple designs, transformed like the basic tank that became a crystal-covered showpiece thanks to Maison Lesage. But Vauthier is well aware that investing in a couture cargo pant requires considerable incentive, hence versions in shimmery silk Lurex lamé and leopard-spotted lace, with overstatement zip pockets the size of oven mitts. And voilà, exactly the type of wearable folly that his OTT celebs will love. Ditto the ostrich hoodie. His LBDs, meanwhile, were unapologetically fierce, yet safe enough to survive shifting trends.During the design process, Vauthier couldn’t shake a vintage vision of Robert Redford and called up Ray-Ban to help with customized aviators. His pal, perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, enhanced the venue with a vaguely masculine rose scent. The collection didn’t need either of these additional signals to strengthen a vision that could be considered among the designer’s most cohesive to date. Just as the models didn’t need to be wearing glorified foundation garments. But you got the sense Vauthier wouldn’t have it any other way.
26 January 2016
If you laid out the looks fromAlexandre Vauthier’sFall haute couture collectionalongside those he proposed for Spring ready-to-wear, you’d very quickly have a stack of matching pairs—right down to the shoes, produced by Sebastian. Of course, nothing would be identical; for ready-to-wear, Maison Lesage hand-embroidery became mechanical and the leather fringes now appeared in jersey. But the gist was there. Even Daria Strokus, who closed Vauthier’s couture show, returned as his ready-to-wear leading lady (looking particularly femme fatale in the Oscar Niemeyer–designed French Communist Party Headquarters).The temptation to declare déjà vu lessens once you take the holistic view that a designer needs a top-notch testing ground to breed the best ideas (and for what it’s worth,Rafdoes the same over atDior). Plus, Vauthier upholds his fixation with fit—the body-grazing blazers and body-con laced bias dresses revealed curves, not compromises. He took pride in showing how he turned an obscenely expensive lace-encrusted dress into a generally expensive lace-encrusted dress without a noticeable difference. And the “opium” red leather biker dress was basically a dead ringer. In fact, the biggest difference with Vauthier’s ready-to-wear offering was the injection of filler pieces: sexy bodysuits, tailored vests, and an LBD that can be worn loose and poncho-style or sleekly belted.Within the past two weeks, Aubrey Plaza,Suki Waterhouse, and Vauthier’s loyal patroness Carine have all furthered his red carpet visibility. But while this may be prime advertising, the introduction of a dressed-down linen grouping suggested it’s not his sole focus. Each of the pieces—be it a jumpsuit or a shirtdress—received some sort of Vauthier golden touch. Maybe they’ll prove the launchpad for his Spring couture.
1 October 2015
These days, it's a known fact that Parisians have been feeling a gravitational pull toward Los Angeles. Alexandre Vauthier goes whenever he can, mainly to chill out by the pool belonging to a close friend. Time away also seems to stimulate his creative output: He has just debuted an haute joaillerie collection for Mellerio dits Meller, and entered into a new footwear agreement with Sebastian. For a designer whose niche is glam rock, the City of Angels is both comfort zone and inspiration epicenter.So when Vauthier mentioned that he landed on his loosely Native American theme after traveling throughout California, there was an instinctive impulse to cringe—in this instance it seemed less a matter of politically incorrect than disconnect. But ceremonial dress and couture do share common ground in craft, and the emphasis on surface detail in this collection testified to a whole lot of it. Extra-long leather fringes swished from sharply tailored black or white jackets and rows of tubes snaked through body-con black or white dresses. If the placement on every piece was different, the louche, luxe effect remained appealingly consistent. It swerved upward with the untamed coyote coat and the slick python perfecto dress in what Vauthier dubbed "opium" red. There was no denying the fierceness, even when the custom-cut and plated tubes zigzagged up and down a dusty pink chiffon gown (arguably the one look most in sync with the ethereal mood of the season).By now, design teams at fast-fashion brands have already co-opted Vauthier's slinky white dress paned with diamond cutouts and the satin fuchsia ruffle skirt paired with a lace bodysuit. Sometimes his bad-girl style is too seductive that way. Vauthier, however, will always have the upper hand. The deceivingly sporty fuchsia varsity jacket, for instance, was embroidered by Maison Lesage and lined with pink mink. And because this was couture, tanks blinged from behind and second-skin pants were comprised of patent panels precisely applied to tulle. Daria Strokous worked the hell out of a micro wrap dress exceptionally embellished to mimic crocodile: It required 1,600 hours of handwork. Surely, it's destined for L.A.
7 July 2015
In reality, Alexandre Vauthier's ready-to-wear collection features more than double the looks shown here. This has nothing to do with overworking Lindsey Wixson and everything to do with ensuring the tightest edit. In the wake of Vauthier's well-received haute couture collection, ideas flowed steadily for this follow-up. While he is adamant that one is not a distillation of the other, there's no denying the likeness of the cutout gowns—which is a good thing. Surely more women should have access to Vauthier's original designs before the knockoffs start appearing. Sticking to the realm of racy, he proposed a suggestive anatomical motif of laser-cut suede atop second-skin tulle and an indisputably alluring décolleté design, in which cleavage was hemmed in by a W-shaped neckline and V-shaped straps.Vauthier can easily shift gears and address daywear imperatives—papery stretch-leather pants, smocked suede tops, blousy blazers, fur-paneled varsity jackets, and satin utility jackets added up to a wardrobe for Bond girl aspirants. To round out the offering, he designed a wider range of jewelry made by Goossens, as well as accessories that benefited from his sleek, relatively restrained hardware. Vauthier sticks to a comfort zone that seems to be working in terms of red-carpet exposure and commercial distribution. But there are signs of a desire to break his own mold. Not shown here: a plaid silk-satin shirt, the cloth sourced from Holland & Sherry. For Vauthier, revamping his vamp might yield strong—and equally sexy—results.
6 March 2015
In December the Chambre Syndicale awarded Alexandre Vauthier the official haute couture appellation. For a designer, acceptance into what's arguably the most elite of all fashion circles ranks right up there with a royal endorsement—in Vauthier's case, of the pop-culture variety. Beyoncé, Kim K., Rihanna, and Heidi Klum remain among the designer's steady patronesses, and one can confidently assume he designs with them in mind.But Vauthier also seemed determined to prove that his new status was rightly earned. To that effect, he focused on material manipulation: An eel-skin shirtdress and crocodile flounced skirt do not appear effortlessly constructed without substantial effort. Grater-size perforations were hand-cut into pony; this, too, must have been insanely labor-intensive. In constant pursuit of the bombshell ideal, Vauthier mapped erogenous zones as islands of exposed hip bone and sheer inserts of thigh. The upshot of such sexiness: It distracts from the workmanship. And notwithstanding a few looks—the side-slit pants, a diva cape, and an overworked dress or two—this was his most finessed collection yet.Even without the foggy emerald atmosphere and whirling Philip Glass score, Vauthier broadcasted a particular state of unease with necklaces and belts that mimicked rehabilitation braces. Adequately padded and luxuriously embellished, these accessories could have been darkly humorous à la David Cronenberg had the overall mood been more irreverent; it's not every day that a femme fatale suffers from whiplash (although good posture is always a plus). Vauthier revealed that the collection took shape from a desire to convey protection. And if one believes that crystals ward off negative energy, the Maison Lesage-embroidered stones colonizing a gown or tank dress should be as good as armor. An alternate reading is that these pieces are destined for Vauthier's life-size lucky charms. Backstage he asked Lindsey Wixson, a Vauthier regular, for her thoughts on wearing the bejeweled knickers. Her reply: "They're for Beyoncé!"
27 January 2015
In Alexandre Vauthier's showroom, an NFL football occupied the corner of a glass table otherwise topped with his accessories and evening clutches, all gleaming with hardware. A few days before, hotshot photographer Mathieu Cesar had captured models Hana Jirickova and Anna Selezneva sporting the Spring collection in the company of American footballers on a field outside Paris. This season marks the first time the ready-to-wear images have appeared in color; Vauthier believed that black and white would make too serious a statement this time around.If haute couture furthers Vauthier's skills, ready-to-wear tests his game, forcing him to figure out how those impeccable made-to-measure dresses and jackets can be modified for retail production and pricing. Ideally, the changes are imperceptible. The best example: a delicate, Astroturf-grazing dress that combined panels and inserts to fully sheathe the body even as it accentuated every curve. But even when the difference was obvious—python strips like electric tape placed atop lace had given way to a fine-gauge knit that echoed the motif—the result was less dilution than redevelopment. While Vauthier's seductress leathers are fine enough (or else, sufficiently revealing) that they neither look nor feel out of season, his lingerie-style underpinnings suggest he is working through various attitudes toward femininity. For every football-inspired pant here matched with a roomy T-shirt, there was a slinky black dress or swimsuit exposing a significant proportion of torso. Some of the pieces were more everyday than others.Team Vauthier boasts no shortage of MVPs these days: Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Beyoncé have all pledged their allegiance in one sexy form or another. The "E" on the red sequined jersey was Vauthier's shout-out to longtime supporter and friend Emmanuelle Seigner. To his credit, Vauthier plays down the celebrity exposure. Playing up the body exposure is still where he gets his kicks.
26 September 2014
Some couturiers send out a wedding gown as their final runway look; Alexandre Vauthier presented a black body-skimming gown that offered quite the peep show from behind. A pearl-embellished band running diagonally across the right cheek functioned as a decorative bridge between the lower back and the upper bum, ostensibly holding the dress together. Such asset-flaunting bait will prove irresistible to Vauthier's mega-muses: Rihanna, Bey, Kim, Rita. But with this collection, the designer ensured that there was more than enough of his mastery to go around, from a jumpsuit in a laser-cut pony hair that mimicked lace, to crystal-studded leather pants, to a slinky minidress covered in ribbons of python stitched to tulle. Before the show, Vauthier seemed particularly excited about his foray into a print that appeared on a silk parka and high-waisted trousers; no run-of-the-mill geometric motif, this was a reinterpreted archive find from Clerici Tessuto, the century-old Italian fabric house.It's all too tempting to linger over a one-shouldered dress that sparkled like pomegranate seeds (the 196,000 ruby-red stones required 1,850 hours of Lesage embroidery) at the expense of Vauthier's stellar tailoring—straight-edged but not boxy. Patent shin guards unnecessarily accented a few leggy looks, as if he hadn't already offered enough aesthetic armor with a pearl and crystal cardigan (120 hours of embroidery) or a series of plush fox cabans. Of course, the designer knows there will always be an appetite for the Tom Ford school of sexpot, but his point of differentiation—his expert eye for fit—can get overwhelmed by glam. Vauthier described this collection as "excessively chic," adding a rapid succession of"très"for emphasis. And to the extent that people will be apt to remember that right cheek most of all, this wastrèstrue.
7 July 2014
Only when prodded did Alexandre Vauthier reveal that Beyoncé had given him the black and pink "Surfboard" sweatshirt he was wearing. Then he couldn't immediately remember who wore one of his couture dresses to the Grammys (it was Rihanna). For his ready-to-wear collection, he wanted only one model to be photographed in his fourteen key looks: Hana Jirickova. All of which confirms that glamorous women populate Vauthier's world, and you can see how their glamorous lives influence his designs. Often, he recasts the themes and technical details from couture, such as the animal-print shirtdress woven with gold lamé and the braided leather bustier (for some, it's dress-length). Basic black leather jeans and silky T-shirts seemed, at least in part, to function as necessary entry points for retailers. And the designer's signatures—a slim bar of gold hardware running up the cuff of a white poplin shirt, and a seam that traces down the spine of a black roll-neck sweater—effectively get you wanting pieces you already have in multiples. This is not a manipulative move; rather, Vauthier is convinced that he can do them better. And when you try on his impeccably tailored smoking or compare the fox-trimmed ski jacket to what's out there, you just might agree that he has a point.
27 February 2014
With a wall of glowing lights at the far end of a glossy black runway, it seemed that Alexandre Vauthier wanted to establish a nightclub ambience for his Spring couture show. Not so. "It was beach and windsurf!" he said emphatically, noting that even the ambient music reinforced the mellow vibe. There was, come to think of it, a beachy attitude to the oxblood bra that appeared midway through—its cups framed in crocodile—and to the hot pants that opened the show. They were shown with heels and a fold-over clutch that had a chain running between them, mimicking a surfboard leash: This was surf fetishism, perhaps.Vauthier also gave exposure to a loosely interpreted ethnic theme that played out as jewel-encrusted paneling, extra-long fringes, and intricate leather braiding. If it vaguely recalled a not-so-distant Givenchy couture collection, the designer's pursuit of exceptional fabrications became the more interesting story. A preview of the clothes a day earlier at his showroom brought this into focus. Here, a leopard-spotted lamé reproduced from Saint Laurent's atelier. There, a deceivingly simple oversize warm-up jacket in rare white astrakhan. Up close, sheer leggings combined extra-fine tulle and lace in contoured accord. The rigid ruffles were the stuff of hat construction, an idea that emerged from Vauthier's correspondence with Maison Michel. Ingeniously, he affixed them to a bodysuit instead of a dress—and just like that, the surf theme reemerged. If only he had kept proportions tight and short instead of extending the swirling mass into a creeping tail.There's some pleasure in knowing that Vauthier does not shy away from extravagance—or bike chains as choker necklaces—as long as the final product bears witness to his creative process. Plus he clearly understands restraint, avoiding closures on his men's-style blazers to keep his top layers fluid. He could benefit from recalibrating his ratio of hyperfeminine to token masculine; this way, his collections might not end up as engulfed by their sexiness. But one imagines that for some clients that is precisely the appeal.
20 January 2014
Rita Ora rocked the closing number from Alexandre Vauthier's July Couture show at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. Whether it's the power of the red carpet or something else, Vauthier reports that he has forty new buying appointments on the schedule this season. That's not nothing for a small brand like his. There wasn't anything on the scale of that crystal and feather extravaganza in Vauthier's showroom presentation today, but the designer doesn't shy away from flash, whether in the gold bars that decorated the cuffs on his suit jackets, the second-skin fit of a black and white sheath, or the icy blue and black print he lifted from a photograph of the lighting setup at his Couture show back in January. Vauthier makes fit a priority, and that will eventually set his collections apart, but because this one comes solely in black and white with that touch of light blue, it might have a hard time rising above the fray on the shop floor. He'll need to work on developing some distinguishing characteristics as the line matures. In the meantime, sporty white track pants with gold and black stripes down the sides and a matching tank and bomber jacket stood out from the rest.
26 September 2013
Alexandre Vauthier designs sexy clothes in the vein of Christophe Decarnin-era Balmain and Anthony Vaccarello. They've earned him a celebrity following among the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, and a healthy ready-to-wear business at stores such as Kirna Zabete and Saks in New York, Just One Eye in L.A., and Harvey Nichols in London. The collection he showed today should please both constituencies.First the retailers: Vauthier's tailoring is laser-sharp. This season he riffed on bombers, Perfectos, a tuxedo with asymmetric tails. Suit jackets had strong shoulders and soft, draped lapels. As for the pop divas: It's easy to picture Riri (who made an appearance earlier in the day at Chanel) in the ruched tulle body-stocking dress the designer showed over a cutout maillot, or maybe one of his seriously short minidresses pieced together from leather, neoprene, metallic accents, and swags of satin. Backstage Vauthier pointed out the work that went into those numbers. "It's very technical," he said. Truth be told, a one-sleeved dress that combined crystal embroidery, ice blue satin, and what we took to be black leather, and a few other styles like it, looked a little forced. Today, the jackets were the hits.
1 July 2013