The response to the show was nonetheless overwhelming, a feat all the more remarkable considering it was presented months after the season ended. (“When the collection is ready, it’s ready,” was Alaïa’s attitude.) What made the show so unforgettable was its appealing anthropomorphism—his butterfly- and leopard-print knits were not only transcendent, but transformative, adding a new and feral sense of “animal magnetism” to his body-con silhouettes.
