MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

A STORY BEHIND THE CLOTHES

2023.03.27

Text by Lucrezia Sgualdino

WHERE FASHION AND CREATION MEET ART AND BEAUTY

 

Pieter Mulier for Alaïa returns to embody the Maison’s unique history in a personal and intimate artistic vision that is carried away by human emotions and connections.

Maison Alaïa, together with creative director Pieter Mulier, decided to embark on an emotional journey through the beauty of dance and fashion. Two intense and profound art forms that narrate and merge into each other. The narrative that starts from this project is that of a modern, powerful and fascinating femininity. The attraction to the story behind each dress leads the artists to perfectly embody sinuous and elegant figures. The modernity of Mulier’s creative flair is best seen in the ballet Pit, Bobbi-Jene Smith and Or Schraiber’s first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet characterized by a fast-paced, frenetic pace. She conceived the costumes for the show following the Maison’s great savoir-faire and important technical expertise. The modern set design transports the audience to a universe that is sensual, tribal and dramatic at the same time.

The looks created for the ballet are soft, flexible armors created from some of the iconic materials used by Alaïa. The inspiration is the very movement of the dancers, graceful and suave, free. The draperies used adapt to the curves of the bodies, their shapes, their silhouettes. The shades are those of black and white, enveloping 12 dancers and 9 ballerinas, uniquely and sublimely highlighting their every movement. The bodies are here enhanced, exalted, celebrated. They elevate the same choreography brought to the stage by the two dancers and choreographers. The idea of the fusion of the two art forms is a source of great enthusiasm, the viewer is able to conceive of art on another level, fashion and dance need to coexist in order to arouse completely authentic emotions and feelings. Both aspects represent living elements of a performance, visions of an emotional journey that leads the watcher’s attentive eye to look with different eyes at the modern history behind these overwhelming costumes.

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