The Fall 2012 Azzedine Alaia Haute Couture show was proof positive that the designer was dead on in remarking that he doesn’t need the support of Anna Wintour to be successful, nor does he need to head the house of Dior – a job he was reportedly offered – nor does he need the Legion d’Honneur metal. Among the countless bold face names that attended his show, Alaia’s first runway show in over eight years, were Sofia Coppola, Kanye West, Donatella Versace, Victoire de Castellane, and French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand all of whom contributed to the boisterous applause at the end of the secretive show which forbade cameras, iPhones and other means of leaking non-official photos.
Arguably the most well-received collection of this couture season, it included the designer’s signature sculpting techniques which made their way into his famed skater skirt featured on coats and cocktail dresses, some of which came finished with Mongolian fur at the hem. Fur also made its way onto select shoulders for lush accents, but it was his cascading eveningwear that stole the show — one of which was made from velvet (giving the final nod that the fabric is THE trend of the Haute Couture shows), artfully worked together with suede and silken ribbons.
Images: WWD.
