On Friday, French fashion house Alaïa presented its Fall/Winter 2023 collection in a brutalist tower block on Antwerp’s Left Bank. Owned by Pieter Mulier, creative director of Alaïa, and his partner, Bottega Veneta designer Matthieu Blazy, the duplex apartment proved to be the perfect setting for the Belgian’s most personal collection to date.
In his fourth season as Alaïa’s creative director, Mulier found the balance between the house’s codes and the development of his own design language.
Originally designed by Belgian architects Stynen & De Meyer in the 1970s and modernized by Glenn Sestig in 2015, the softly lit concrete facility provided the perfect backdrop for the cocooning shapes of rounded palazzo trousers, the rounded shoulders of bomber jackets and turtleneck sweaters and for the top of a catsuit with metallic darts. Leather, wool and cotton, the foundation of Alaïa’s collections, have been pared down to the essentials, luxury without over-embellishment.
Elsewhere, a leather belt turned into suspenders, and various dresses with several panels of fabric skillfully encased the body. Some of these gowns, notably a white model with a draped veil, are sure to be used at the Oscars in March.
In view of the collection that captivated the audience, the impressive panorama of the 21st floor became a minor matter.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com