September 28, 2026 |
Pieter Mulier bowed out from Alaïa with a farewell show that was one of those you-had-to-be-there fashion moments. It was nearly 10 pm by the time it started, on a damp Paris night in March. The glass-walled exhibition space of the former Fondation Cartier played host to a heartfelt coming together of a fashion community intent on showing their appreciation for Mulier’s sensational silhouettes.
From left: Backstage at Alaïa’s summer/autumn 26 show, model Reagan Lee wears a trapeze-line calfskin coat; The atelier team embrace the end of an era
They arrived in their finest Alaïa pieces: vintage and new. For five years, Mulier brought his own daring design language to the house, but his highly crafted, sculptural clothes captured the spirit and sexuality of the brand and appealed across the Alaïa generation divide – a feat that would not have gone unnoticed by his new bosses at Versace.
Alaïa women of all ages slinked past in jersey dresses, sculptural cotton, curvy coats and high-shine leather. They wore Mulier’s teetering Perspex mules or cult mesh ballet slippers on their feet and tucked Le Teckel bags (their narrow, low-riding shape inspired by sausage dogs) under their arms. They came to pay respects to a man who has blazed through his Alaïa tenure with a mix of creative audacity and care for this brand with a solid gold heritage.
Pieter Mulier greets the crowd post-show, wearing a blouse blanche (the white coat traditionally worn in the couture atelier), printed with the date of his final show
Mulier was keen to show his appreciation too. His crowd mingled in front of a huge screen flashing Keizō Kitajima’s portraits of all the members of the Alaïa atelier. “They make the house alive. A collection is the result of their passion, time, taste, tears and love. Never forget… one never works alone. My family: thank you,” said Mulier, who placed a book of the portraits on every seat.
The crowd packed onto narrow benches, creating a slender catwalk channel that snaked through the space. The concept, said Mulier, was “to go back to how shows used to be before social media etc… And what an energy it gave.” It was electric but intimate, a room full of friends (with a light sprinkling of celebrity in the form of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Alicia Silverstone). The models were close enough to touch (although nobody did). Prada’s Raf Simons squeezed in next to Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy, who was wearing his old alma mater, Bottega Veneta, with Anna Wintour, in sunglasses and a favourite Prada coat, seated next to them. Famously banned by the founder Azzedine Alaïa for “having bad taste”, Wintour only started attending Alaïa shows after Mulier arrived at the house in 2021.
Not a dry eye: emotions show as models and audience members applaud the designer’s farewell show for Alaïa
For this, his swansong collection, Mulier sent out a summation of everything he built during his remarkable stint. “This last collection was more about clothes to wear, not clothes for an image,” said the designer, who closed his five-year Alaïa chapter with a show dedicated to the bodycon codes of the house. He dialled down the fashion theatrics and daredevil silhouette thrills that have been a touchstone of his tenure, propelling him into the premier league of creative directors. Instead, he brought it back to the spirit of Alaïa, expressed through pure lines and superlative cuts.
Mulier said he and his team “started with real clothes. What is a jacket, what is a dress, what is an Alaïa dress?” The answer? An Alaïa dress is cut with such deftness and expertise in an atelier that has honed its skills over five decades to complement the curve of the female form. An Alaïa dress is a sensual experience as much as it is a visual statement.
From left: Raf Simons, Matthieu Blazy and Anna Wintour on the front row; Olivier Rizzo; Julia Sarr-Jamois
Mulier showed it can be short and bodycon, a lean tank, it can cling like a tube or gently flare over the hips, skater-style. Its fabrication, whether silk, knit, woven, metal or exotic, makes you marvel. You could say it was simple, but that would belie the craft and care stitched into it. And when you put it on you feel supreme – the best version of yourself. As for an Alaïa jacket or coat, it’s an elegant superstructure that curves around the body, creating striking volumes and proportions. “I also want to show what I learned from the house. I learned precision, I learned editing and I learned that real luxury is not what we all think. Real luxury is the perfectly cut jacket.”
From left: Paloma Elsesser; Kitajima’s book was stacked on every seat; an audience member
Mulier described the collection as “a vocabulary” of his five years at Alaïa, a working document that he can pass on to whoever takes over. As the last model stepped off the catwalk, wearing a black double-breasted hourglass, leather jacket and tiered cotton skirt composed of sharp architectural frills, Mulier did a victory lap, soaking up the rousing applause and audible appreciation dressed in a humble blouse blanche – the traditional white coat of the atelier staff. Simons was the first to congratulate him, dashing from his seat to hug his friend and former colleague (they worked together at both Dior and Calvin Klein, and now that Prada owns Versace, they are once again in close proximity). As the crowd poured out into the Paris night, animatedly discussing their favourite looks, a huddle of journalists formed near the backstage entrance and waited. Mulier eventually appeared to gamely field questions. Many of those crowded around him had tears in their eyes. Tears for an undeniable talent and the close of an exhilarating chapter for the house. As Mulier moves on to Versace, his parting shot was a wardrobe of great, timeless, precision-cut clothes: forever pieces for the end of an era.
Doutzen Kroes
Taken from Issue 77 of 10 Magazine – FUTURE, LEGACY, HERITAGE – is on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
Photographer FRANCES C PLANES
Text CLAUDIA CROFT
Date MARCH 4, 2026
Location THE FORMER FONDATION CARTIER, PARIS
Creative Director PIETER MULIER
Hair DUFFY
Make-up PAT MCGRATH
Casting Director ASHLEY BROKAW
