France is renowned for its fashion history. Some
of the world’s greatest couturiers were born and raised here, couturiers such
as Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel and finally, the focus of this article,
Azzedine Alaia. Whilst his two contemporaries were busy breaking social
boundaries with their androgynous visions, Alaia instead created clothing that
was designed to hug and emphasise a woman’s body. I was recently engaged by
Alaia for the first time whilst reading Grace Coddington’s memoirs – her enthusiasm
for some of his early collections led her to make the decision to dress
exclusively in Alaia, a huge accolade. So upon hearing news that the first
exhibition to be held at the recently-renovated Paris Galliera would be a
retrospective of the man himself, I wasted no time in heading to the museum to
see what the fuss was about. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
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| Fall/Winter 2003, ph by Paolo Roversi |
