Alainpaul spring/summer 2027: black socks with derbies and opaque black tights, look by look
In Alain Paul's ballet dancer at a rave, socks go with derbies, ballet flats stay on bare legs, and two looks close the leg in black tights: 11 of 50.
Alain Paul showed the spring/summer 2027 Alainpaul collection in Paris, a coed show. In the gallery WWD published with images courtesy of the brand, we count 50 looks, and in 11 of them the legs are covered: 9 in socks, black or white, always with lace-up shoes, and 2 in opaque black tights. The ballet flats, on the other hand, almost always walk on bare legs. We went through the looks one by one, in the order they walked.
The collection: a ballet dancer at a rave
According to Samantha Conti in WWD, the season's story was a classically trained dancer stepping into an underground rave. Guests had their hands stamped as at a club and were handed little key-chain flashlights; in the dark room strobe lights came on and a cluster of club kids danced in the centre as the models walked. WWD describes reimagined ballet costumes and rave colours: silver lamé, black, pink and kiwi.
The designer said he wanted to look at studied and free movement, and to "get different types of people together"; of the knits he said: "They were handmade and we left all the mistakes, like the little threads, in." Among the standouts WWD lists silver lamé ballerina flats with crisscross black elastic at the front, and Marie Antoinette style pannier skirts. Paul said he was thinking of a dancer layering parts of his costume over his usual clothes on his way out of the opera house.
Black socks with derbies: looks 11 and 29
The short black sock, at mid-calf, is the one that keeps coming back. In look 11 it sits under a sheer pale pink pleated dress, with burgundy derbies; in look 29 under a pink knit mini dress, with black derbies and a black leather knee pad on one leg only, like a dancer's.
Looks 11 and 29: black sock and derby. Photo: courtesy of Alainpaul, via WWD.
The same formula returns in look 9, with a leather knee pad under a sheer red dress and burgundy derbies; in looks 16 and 21, the photo at the top, under black dresses with black shoes; in look 32, menswear, with knit shorts and burgundy derbies with a crossed strap; and in look 38 under kiwi satin trousers gathered at the knee.
White socks: looks 25 and 28
Two men's looks wear white socks with silver lace-ups instead. In look 25 under a grey jacket and ruffled grey shorts; in look 28 under black shorts with a white turn-up and a black lace camisole.
Looks 25 and 28: white sock, silver shoe. Photo: courtesy of Alainpaul, via WWD.
Opaque black tights: looks 39 and 46
The only fully covered legs come at the end. In look 39 opaque black tights sit under a long black skirt open at the front, with black ballet flats; in look 46 under a ruffled black mini and a red jacket, with black lace-up shoes.
Looks 39 and 46: opaque black tights. Photo: courtesy of Alainpaul, via WWD.
The other looks are bare-legged or in long trousers, with ballet flats, sandals, pumps or silver shoes.
How to read these legs now
No source gives the yarn or the denier. Three practical points:
- Socks with a lace-up, bare legs with a ballet flat. Alainpaul keeps the two apart: the black sock goes with derbies, while the ballet flats stay bare. With a light dress, a dark sock and a men's shoe take away the evening feel.
- A dark sock under pale pink. Looks 11 and 29 put black under pale pink: the contrast is deliberate, and it works because the shoe is dark too.
- Opaque tights with a mini. In look 46 opaque black tights close the leg under a ruffled mini: to choose the weight, see our guide to choosing denier.
For more of the season, read our Paris diary and the look-by-looks of Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, Noir Kei Ninomiya, Maxhosa Africa, Kiko Kostadinov, Hodakova and Celine.
The photos
The numbering follows the WWD gallery of Alainpaul spring/summer 2027, 50 images credited as courtesy of the brand; looks 1 and 50 are both long black looks down to the floor. The photos in this article are from that gallery, with credit, and the look numbers are the gallery's. The count of 11 (9 with socks, 2 with tights) is ours, from the photos; we did not count socks hidden by long trousers.
