Fashion Couturier Azzedine Alaïa

I set out last week to the Marais to find the oldest cloister in Paris.  I could not figure out how to get inside so I walked around the block to see if I had missed the entrance.  I had no luck but instead, on the rue de Verrerie near the BHV Department Store, I found the atelier of the couturier Azzedine Alaïa.  It was a serendipitous find.

Alaïa died in November 2017 at the age of 82.  His foundation retained his workshop space and his collection of clothing and creates exhibits of his creations.

Alaïa's Atelier

Alaïa, born in Tunisia, lied about his age to get into the École des Beaux-Arts in Tunis.  At the school he learned about the human form and began studying sculpture.  He worked as a dressmaker to pay for school supplies.

In 1957, he moved to Paris to work in fashion design.  He worked for various designers until he opened his first tiny atelier in the 1970s.  During this time he dressed Greta Garbo, who would come incognito for her fittings.

He became more successful during the 1980s.  He created seductive, clinging clothes that were a huge success and gave him the name "The King of Cling."  Grace Jones wore several of his creations in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill. 

When Naomi Campbell came to Paris to model at the age 16, her wallet was stolen on her first day.  Alaïa took her in and became a father figure to her.  He called her mother and told her that Naomi was too young to be in Paris alone and that he would look after her.  She would sneak out the window at night to go clubbing and he would have to track her down.

My favorite Dress at the Exhibit

Alaïa was different than other designers.  He did not create his designs from drawings but created his looks on fit models or mannequins.  Naomi Campbell would serve as a model for Alaïa when she was in Paris, staying up late at night as he created his fashion with scissors and thread.  Campbell called him Papa and they remained close until he died.

Zipper Dress

Alaïa did not usually exhibit his collections during fashion week.  He did not like to be on an artificial schedule.  He did not present a collection until he felt it was ready.  And that was rarely on Paris fashion week's schedule.  He was a true artist.

Alaïa said about clothing, "I like when they are beautiful and timeless, not cluttered with details, ornaments, and colors that prematurely age them.  The simplest are the most difficult to create!"  This is so true--the dresses on display were created between 1986 and 2017.  I could not tell the old from the new.