PARIS — When Azzedine Alaïa passed away in 2017, he left behind not only a vast archive of his own designs, but also a museum-worthy collection of vintage fashion.
That the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation regularly stages exhibitions juxtaposing his designs with those of the industry legends he worshipped is a testament not just to Alaïa’s talent, but also to his fluency in the language of haute couture, the uniquely French craft of made-to-measure clothes.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in “Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior, Two Masters of Haute Couture,” which opens on Monday and runs until May 24.
Azzedine Alaïa haute couture, fall 2008 (left), and Christian Dior haute couture Secret gown, fall 1952 (right).
Courtesy of Azzedine Alaïa Foundation
The second chapter of a twin exhibition organized in collaboration with Dior, it features close to 70 pieces by both designers, all drawn from Alaïa’s collection, and follows similar shows pairing his work with that of Cristóbal Balenciaga, Madame Grès and Thierry Mugler.
“We start by looking at the pieces from the other designer that we have in the archive, because in the case of Azzedine, we have everything, so we know we can pull what we want,” said Olivier Saillard, director of the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation and curator of both Alaïa-Dior exhibitions.
“Then one dress leads to another. At a certain point, once we’ve gone through what made the other couturier’s work so iconic, we sometimes do the opposite. We look at Azzedine’s pieces and ask ourselves, ‘Is there an equivalent?’ It becomes a kind of stylistic dialogue,” he added.
That conversation began in 1956, when a teenaged Alaïa first set foot in the hallowed house of Dior. Though his internship lasted only five days, its impact was enduring: Alaïa went on to collect some 600 Dior pieces, of which the majority were designed by the brand’s founder.
Azzedine Alaïa ready-to-wear, fall 1988 (left), Christian Dior haute couture Pondichéry jacket, spring 1948 (middle), and Christian Dior haute couture Petite Roue jacket, fall 1949 (right).
Courtesy of Azzedine Alaïa Foundation
Thanks to the teams at Dior Heritage, the foundation was able to catalog Alaïa’s collection. Each outfit was identified, with Dior sourcing dozens of related documents, from sketches to press clippings.
“It’s as if you had 40 Degas drawings at home and a specialist came in to date, annotate and archive them,” Saillard said. “We learned a lot about Dior’s work in the process.”
More than 100 items are on display at La Galerie Dior, the exhibition space inside the brand’s historic Paris flagship. “Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection,” which opened on Nov. 20, is set to run until May 3.
Both designers were fond of hourglass silhouettes, with a taste for accentuated waists, sculpted shoulders, curved hips and voluminous skirts. While Dior relied on corsets to achieve his nip-waisted New Look, Alaïa liked to cinch his creations with extra-wide leather belts.
The foundation’s exhibit opens with a red dress that Alaïa designed for a private client in 1958 — the earliest example of his work on display. It’s a virtual twin of the Dior design next to it, which is dated from 1957, the year of the couturier’s death.
“The influence is unmistakable,” said Saillard. “When you put the two dresses side by side, it’s honestly hard to tell them apart.”
Though Saillard has literally written books on Dior, he was struck anew by the designer’s instinct for composition and volume. “Both Azzedine and Christian Dior had a real taste for architecture — not just for architects, but for architectural clothing,” Saillard said.
This was accentuated by their immoderate use of black, putting the accent on cut and proportion. Alongside all-black designs like Dior’s Venezuela dress from 1957, his belted Intrigue coat from 1949, and his 1952 Secret bustier gown, Saillard also selected an undergarment to give an understanding of the structure underpinning the looks.
“It’s a petticoat and boned bustier, and we’re showing it because Azzedine always said that when he was a teenager in Tunis, he would dream over magazine photos of Christian Dior dresses. He wanted to understand the mystery of those dresses that, in his words, ‘seemed to stand up on their own,’” he explained.
Alaïa was also sensitive to the romantic side of Dior, collecting gowns bursting with patterns, embroidery and vivid color, echoed in the floral set design of the exhibition by Kris Ruhs.
Dior’s Spanish-inspired Andalouse dress, from 1955, is shown alongside a floor-length red tiered Alaïa dress from 2013, while an emerald velvet design from 1988 is associated with Dior’s 1949 Petite Roue jacket, which almost seems cut from the same cloth.
It should come as no surprise that Alaïa channeled the spirit of the masters that preceded him, Saillard said. The designer spent 20 years working as a tailor for private clients before officially launching his brand, giving him a unique understanding of women’s bodies.
Azzedine Alaïa ready-to-wear, fall 2010 (left), and Christian Dior haute couture Venezuela gown, fall 1957 (right).
Courtesy of Azzedine Alaïa Foundation
“On their own, Azzedine’s dresses aren’t like anyone else’s, but they carry traces of fashion history within them,” Saillard remarked.
“His work is so deeply rooted in the history of fashion. He admired it, he collected it, and then he practiced it. And while his talent goes without saying, I’m still amazed by how much his clothes seem to converse with the creations of the great masters,” he continued.
“It’s as if, through studying these couturiers and looking so closely at their work, he inherited a piece of that mystery of French haute couture — something that goes beyond fashion. It’s timeless.”
