For a look that’s one part bombshell, two parts rock star, icons like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Madonna have all turned to designer Alexandre Vauthier.
The Frenchman is famed for va-va-voom — skin-bearing slits and ornate, gem-dusted jackets — and, this season, he turned the heat up to scorching: His fall/winter couture collection in Paris was chock-full of sumptuous textures and his signature plunging V-cuts, both up to here and down to there.
Backstage at the show, flashing camera bulbs popped as models clad in ink-infused, python-striped and lace dresses whipped by.
“The collection is very sophisticated,” the 42-year-old says, turning his attention on a blazer dripping in what looks like a million pearls. “It took 120 hours to stitch each pearl on this piece. I worked precisely with the tailoring and the creation of new textiles, which is extremely important to me.”
Vauthier’s exuberant designs shone even more brightly when juxtaposed with the raw space of the show’s venue — warehouse Maison de la Radio.
“I wanted the defile to be cool,” says Vauthier, who sent Swarovski-dotted leather pants and derrière-slitted gowns down the cement runway. “This season’s colors are chic with navy, black and white. It is also the first time I am using gray and yellow. It puts a fresh twist on the collection.”
In addition to his nouveau palette, Vauthier experimented with prints for the first time since launching his namesake couture collection five years ago.
“I tried to challenge myself this season, so the collection is based around a print created by the century-old Italian fabric house Clerici Tessuto,” he explains. “I even transitioned the print physically by turning the printed polka dots into pearls.”
The Agen-born designer has been challenging the status quo for n early two decades. After graduating from École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode in 1994, Vauthier’s internship with Thierry Mugler landed him his first full time design position at the French house. Five years later, Vauthier moved to Jean Paul Gaultier, where he worked as the head designer of couture for eight years before leaving to start his own collection.
The couturier is now broadening his base. Vauthier adapted his meticulous designs into ready-to-wear and accessories lines, carried in New York at both Saks Fifth Avenue and Soho boutique Kirna Zabete.
Whether it’s for the runway or the regular girl, Vauthier’s inspiration is the same.
“All women inspire me,” he says. “In fact, my collections are about all the women of my life.”