Alexander Vauthier

JULY 02, 2013PARIS

By Nicole Phelps

Alexandre Vauthier designs sexy clothes in the vein of Christophe Decarnin-era Balmain and Anthony Vaccarello. They've earned him a celebrity following among the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, and a healthy ready-to-wear business at stores such as Kirna Zabete and Saks in New York, Just One Eye in L.A., and Harvey Nichols in London. The collection he showed today should please both constituencies.

First the retailers: Vauthier's tailoring is laser-sharp. This season he riffed on bombers, Perfectos, a tuxedo with asymmetric tails. Suit jackets had strong shoulders and soft, draped lapels. As for the pop divas: It's easy to picture Riri (who made an appearance earlier in the day at Chanel) in the ruched tulle body-stocking dress the designer showed over a cutout maillot, or maybe one of his seriously short minidresses pieced together from leather, neoprene, metallic accents, and swags of satin. Backstage Vauthier pointed out the work that went into those numbers. "It's very technical," he said. Truth be told, a one-sleeved dress that combined crystal embroidery, ice blue satin, and what we took to be black leather, and a few other styles like it, looked a little forced. Today, the jackets were the hits.