Alexandre Vauthier’s Fall 2023 collection sought balance amid chaos, with each garment grounded in haute couture fundamentals—mindful, hand-executed technique built for high visual impact. Among the designer’s variations on draping, unusual asymmetries, sensuous trains, and dramatic capes walked a rich bevy of brocades and pleats. Dark matte metallics and gold lamé gilded the runway, alongside a gown made buoyant by three-dimensional black feathers protruding from the body. Plissé ruffled rosettes exploding from tight-fitted tops were styled with micro-pleated leggings, and sharp-shouldered bodysuits danced between flouncy organza and power-woman jumpsuits.

A menswear look made its way down the runway—a first for the house—yet it didn’t hugely depart from the classic Vauthier eye for tailoring. The suit itself was an embodiment of the brand’s balanced vision for the collection, featuring the long, sharp lines that have become the designer’s signature.

The show’s broader atmosphere maintained the collection’s sober rhythm. An elite crop of slick-haired and naturally made-up models slinked down the runway to a soundtrack by Erik Satie and Leonard Cohen; it refused the harsh noise of the world, a departure from the edgy techno typical to a Vauthier show.

Alexandre Vauthier is a house continually providing variations on a histrionic theme, and this season’s take on purified opulence was nothing short of the brand turning its gaze on itself. Drama steadied each look, proving that self-referential garment construction can be a bold shout in fashion.