Though Pieter Mulier is much celebrated for Alaïa’s directional runways—the hooded stretch-knit tops with tubular rings around the face from his fall 2025 show were among the most photographed pieces of the season—the brand is doing a bang-up business in bags and shoes, too. He’s got an eye for everyday cult objects as well as for fantastical ones, so it’s a bit ironic that we haven’t seen a pre-season lookbook since he started at the house. That changes today.
Mulier calls these in-between season lineups, which he’s always done but never presented to the press, Archetypes, and true to the name, this one is stacked with ideas that took root on the runway, but are rendered here in more approachable ways. That goes for a gray turtleneck dress that flares out gently at the hips thanks to the integrated knit crin; a “new version of the Guggenheim silhouette,” he called it, referring to the curving shapes he introduced at his New York museum show two Septembers ago. And it goes for the balloon peacoat in heavy English wool whose swooping collar echoes in a subtler way the veil-hood of a fall ’25 coat.
On the subject of those everyday cult objects, this season marks the debut of a new softer version of the hit Teckel bag that has been so influential across fashion, and a sized-up “big sister” that’s been dubbed the Bulldog. You’ll also see a range of distinctive denim pieces, including a sleeveless peplum top and full, pooling pants ensemble. “I love jeans,” Mulier said. “It’s because I worked in menswear for so long, but also: Azzedine liked jeans. You remember that famous Perfecto coat with the big zip? Denim is part of Alaia’s vocabulary.”
Trust that Mulier also has his fun. Many of the looks here were accessorized with roomy, sheer Swiss dot pants. “I love the idea of an oversized stocking. It feels quite modern as a silhouette under coats and under dresses,” he said. On his spring ’26 runway, Mulier did quite a bit of experimenting with legwear. The fringed stockings that stood in for skirts under the show’s opening series of tunics looked utterly novel, which is a rare feat, even at fashion’s highest levels. These stocking pants will produce their own double-takes.
As for the vivid pink, long double-satin bias-cut number? “Very easy to look at, extremely difficult to make,” Mulier attested. “That’s a funny story,” he continued, “because I made it for one of my best friends for a wedding first. We looked at it and we liked it so much that we made a little collection of them.” Better than a double-take, it’s a stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of dress.
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