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.
