Having watched the film, it’s easier to notice and appreciate the awe-inspiring, precision-crafted work for which Alaïa is so revered. There isn’t a lot of text to read at the exhibition, and it’s all the better for it, because it forces you to really look. To see the garments up close is to understand why it took Azzedine years to perfect certain designs. Every tiny element has been considered and innovated upon, like high-performance sportswear – not in service of speed, of course, but instead for the most exquisite fit, and the pleasure of minutely engineered detail. Diaphanous, sheer silk chiffons are expertly origami-d around the body. The weight of studs and chainmail is so well balanced that the gowns cling and drape improbably, like magic, with not a single pucker to be found in the silk. Thank goodness you can get a 360-degree view, because the backs and sides of the garments are works of art and feats of engineering too. And the mirrored pedestals even give you a glimpse of the structure underneath – the only form of upskirting we can really get on board with.