Alexandre Vauthier Resurrects the 1980s
The 80s are back in a big way with Alexandre Vauthier’s new spring 2023 couture collection. Shoulder pads, rocker leather, geometric confetti sequins, and bold neons are all audacious elements of the new collection, shown at Paris Fashion Week. Oversized blazers with huge shoulder pads evoked Working Girl, while any of the minidresses would be at home in a 1980s movie set at the Prom.
The show started out relatively tame, the first ten or so looks monochromatically black or deep green. There were some small pops of color, like holographic pink and orange sequined boots peeking out from under an oversized, dramatic black suit. There was also a simple black dress with an asymmetric cut that revealed a lining of apricot colored sequins, as well as faux fur elements evocative of chic northern European fashion.
Courtesy of Vogue
The silhouettes were exaggerated, with theatrically wide shoulders and hips. Oversized, slouchy clothing was a common theme. Sequins played at least a small role in almost every look.
Courtesy of Vogue
As the show went on, looks got progressively more colorful and complicated. There were several looks that included pieces made of shiny geometric shapes like funky, pointy sequins. While these were either black or silver, they were splattered with smaller multicolored sequins that evoked an 80s aesthetic.
Courtesy of Vogue
There was a skin tight head-to-toe leather look that looked like an updated, chic version of Olivia Newton-John’s classic leather outfit from Grease.
Another model, wearing magenta from head to toe, looked playful in tulle ruffles and sequined pant boots.
The strong, structured look evoked the 80s in a pleasing way: a large black blazer with a large, open hood, a cropped, lime green jacket with an asymmetric collar.
While there were many successful adaptations of classic 80s style, others were less so. One look, a ruffled neon green mini dress with a cutout on the torso and a huge bow on the shoulder, looked like something a teenager in 1985 would wear to the 8th grade dance. Somehow, even on the runway model, this look was reminiscent of that painful, adolescent stage in which you wear the things that make you cringe the most later in life.
Courtesy of Vogue
This collection has a wide array of options with one thing in common; they are bold, showing a clear vision of strength to counteract an anxious period in history.