Forty-two years ago, Azzedine Alaïa, the designer lovingly dubbed the King of Cling, took his sinuous show on the road to New York City for a show at Bergdorf Goodman. Pat Cleveland and Alva Chin walked the runway. With its sharp, slightly sci-fi leathers and knits, the collection was extremely ’80s, in the best possible way.
For his own New York show, the house of Alaïa’s creative director Pieter Mulier picked an equally iconic location: the Guggenheim, whose curvilinear Frank Lloyd Wright ramp served as an elaborate runway for a model cast that included Kendall Jenner and Vittoria Ceretti. It marked the first time the museum has played host to a fashion show.
And you know your event will be an internet-breaking one when Rihanna herself, in a custom strapless Alaïa dress complete with a train, makes a much-photographed entrance. While she looked on approvingly, Mulier put his own spin on the label’s standbys: hooded dresses and abundantly pleated miniskirts. He experimented with volume and abstraction via an ethereal cut-out dress that skimmed the body and puffball-style creations that playfully took up space.
The skin-baring, sculptural looks, which featured nothing in the way of zippers or buttons (in quintessential Azzedine fashion) felt in line with the directional, yet sexy territory Mulier has been tilling throughout his tenure.
Like Alaïa himself, Mulier has a strong connection to the city; he lived here while working at Calvin Klein. And this isn’t the end of Alaïa’s love story with New York. The brand is promising a “series of exclusive moments” that will unfurl through the weekend. One might just be coming to a sidewalk near you.
Alaia Spring/Summer 2025
Véronique Hyland is ELLE’s Fashion Features Director and the author of the book Dress Code, which was selected as one of The New Yorker's Best Books of the Year. Her writing has previously appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, W, New York magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and Condé Nast Traveler.
