Alaïa F/W 2023.24 Antwerp

[Deleted member 7575]

Seems like the highlight of a fashion designer's interior taste is to showcase it in the World of Interiors nowadays But as with Nicolas Ghesquiere's earlier feature in that same magazine, funnily enough so much can be distilled from it.

Pieter's interior is absolutely in what in some circles would be considered 'good taste'..but it's austere, void of any charm or personality, there's very little to no emotion. Which is just the way I see his Alaïa.
His furniture and art is all too...cliché. Nothing unexpected. Reminds me of Raf's home in Antwerp, absolutely faultless but boring for simply ticking the 'right' boxes of the current interior and art tendencies.

I think part of it is coming from Hamish being the EIC.

 

[LadyJunon]

Reminds me of Raf's home in Antwerp, absolutely faultless but boring for simply ticking the 'right' boxes of the current interior and art tendencies.

Funny thing you say this because the article briefly mentions a Pesce chair that was gifted by Raf Simons.

Mulier’s favourite Castiglioni ‘Taccia’ lamp, of which he has around 20 different examples, illuminates his desk, alongside a 1940s Georges Jouve vase, a Tim Breuer painting and a Gaetano Pesce chair that was a gift from Raf Simons. Mulier was the fashion designer’s right-hand man at Jil Sander, Dior and Calvin Klein

Source: The World of Interiors

Such an ugly chair too...

 

[LadyJunon]

I think part of it is coming from Hamish being the EIC.

Not to mention that they're owned by Condom Nasty, the company that owns Vogue and GQ.

 

[Lola701]

I actually love seeing designers interiors instead of celebrities. At least with designers, there’s a sense of identity and sometimes a creative lineage.

You see from Pieter that he is not someone interested in sensuality. It’s an interesting place to look at rather than to live in.

When you look at Armani’s interior, you understand how he manages to get the best satin in the world.

Nicolas’s interior is like the exact reflection of his design language.

I must admit that I would be very interested to see the women around Raf and Pieter. I never had a real understanding of the work maybe because I don’t have a woman to relate those clothes to. And when I say women, I mean in the studio or circle of friends…Not influencers or paid people.

Because the women who wore Azzedine wore it daily…Ask Victoire de Castellane!

 

[LadyJunon]

I must admit that I would be very interested to see the women around Raf and Pieter. I never had a real understanding of the work maybe because I don’t have a woman to relate those clothes to. And when I say women, I mean in the studio or circle of friends…Not influencers or paid people.

Because the women who wore Azzedine wore it daily…Ask Victoire de Castellane!

While I was a major fan of Raf's Dior, I find it really hard to associate Raf Simons with women and womenswear. Raf's look is very aggressive and brutalist in terms of colour, silhouette and textile, which is the opposite of what women generally seek in high fashion. To add to that, his brand also has a strong link in hypebeast culture, a subculture that is very masculine and male oriented.

I've really grown to love Pieter Mulier's Alaïa, but it does have jarring flaws. While it doesn't feel masculine or aggressive like Raf, but it does often feel cold and stoic. Oftentimes, it's the more complicated propositions that end up feeling the coldest, the latest being those latex coats with upwards of 20 buttons and leather belts with handlebars (what is that even supposed to mean?). Mulier would really benefit from fully shifting towards technique-based design instead of concept-based design. One of his best pieces for the house is this dress, which was "Passage 38" from this collection here:

Source: Maison Alaïa

Conceptually, it's extremely simple, but the key lies in the technical skills required to create a continuous drape from the skirt to the hood along with the subtle nods to Islamic veils, an element of Azzedine's native culture. That simplistic touch of humour makes it almost feels like something Blazy would come up with during his tenure at Margiela.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

While I was a major fan of Raf's Dior, I find it really hard to associate Raf Simons with women and womenswear. Raf's look is very aggressive and brutalist in terms of colour, silhouette and textile, which is the opposite of what women generally seek in high fashion. To add to that, his brand also has a strong link in hypebeast culture, a subculture that is very masculine and male oriented.

I've really grown to love Pieter Mulier's Alaïa, but it does have jarring flaws. While it doesn't feel masculine or aggressive like Raf, but it does often feel cold and stoic. Oftentimes, it's the more complicated propositions that end up feeling the coldest, the latest being those latex coats with upwards of 20 buttons and leather belts with handlebars (what is that even supposed to mean?). Mulier would really benefit from fully shifting towards technique-based design instead of concept-based design. One of his best pieces for the house is this dress, which was "Passage 38" from this collection here:
View attachment 1234398
Source: Maison Alaïa

Conceptually, it's extremely simple, but the key lies in the technical skills required to create a continuous drape from the skirt to the hood along with the subtle nods to Islamic veils, an element of Azzedine's native culture. That simplistic touch of humour makes it almost feels like something Blazy would come up with during his tenure at Margiela.

I feel like this pertains to Rafs tribe, if you will, in general.

For me, I see this same idea playing out at Bottega regarding these designers opting to focus on the conceptual rather than showing their talent via the technical. M.B’s recent use of nubuck leather in place of traditional cotton in jeans, t-shirts, and wovens is a prime example.

When viewed IRL, the designs are very plain and common. I don’t want to disregard the work of the hands that crafted these special pieces because it takes a great amount of talent to create such looks, but from a design perspective these pieces lack any real value or innovation. They are cut in the same way any other jeans, t-shirt, or woven is and the hand feel is rather underwhelming. Yes, the trick worked, but after about 10 seconds the magic wears off.

 

[Bernie Flood]

Not to mention that they're owned by Condom Nasty, the company that owns Vogue and GQ.

Condom Nasty ‍♀️‍♀️‍♀️

 

[Bernie Flood]

I have a feeling that he will have the same fate as Raf Simons with Dior. Great designers, wrong fashion house. Who could replace him though?