Last November 17th, the world mourned the unexpected loss of fashion designer Azzedine Alaia, who died of a heart attack at age 83.
Starting as a humble dressmaker in Tunisia where he was born, Alaia moved to Paris in 1957, where he rose to be the greatest and most beloved couturier of the late 20th century and early 21st century. After stints designing and tailoring at Christian Dior, Guy Laroche, and Thierry Mugler, he opened his own tiny atelier in the late 1970s on rue de Bellechasse, privately making clothes for society women and celebrities including Marie-Hélène de Rothschild and Greta Garbo.
Moving his atelier to the Marais in 1980, he designed his first ready to wear collection. His beautifully sculpted clothes were superbly flattering and sexy, celebrating the woman’s body, hence his nickname “The King of Cling”. His meteoric rise in the 1980s, Alaia’s designs were everywhere; on the pages of Vogue, Elle, and Harpers Bazaar and on the bodies of celebrities and movie stars including Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Raquel Welch, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Brigitte Nielsen, Naomi Campbell, and Stephanie Seymour.
Although Alaia designed new collections regularly, he wasn’t a slave to the merciless fashion calendar of turning out six collections a year that most designers at the big design houses must produce. In fact, Alaia did not show during Paris fashion week and only staged shows when he was ready. He sold a stake in his company to Richemont, the luxury conglomerate in 2007, which also owns Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels, while retaining full control.
The global fashion community was in shock upon Alaia’s death, as he was unanimously respected and loved by fellow designers, models, clients, and his staff.
Alaia was a true artisan, obsessively pursuing his craft, always looking at new ways to sculpt and elevate the female form. He seldom left his studio, working into the night. One of his few forms of recreation was cooking dinner (he was an excellent cook) at his apartment for groups of his friends. As sweet and generous as Alaia was, he had a wicked sense of humor, playing jokes on his friends, plus he loved to gossip.
Another passion of Alaia’s was design and art. He particularly loved mid-century modern design and in fact, when his collection became too large to fit in his headquarters in the Marais, he bought the building next door and furnished four, short-term rental apartments with his bounty. Alaia was an avid collector of vintage haute couture, collecting pieces from Charles James, Paul Poiret, Vionnet, Chanel, and Madame Grès plus he had vast archives of his own collections.
Celebrating the genius of Alaia, fashion historian, and curator Olivier Saillard has chosen 41 pieces that best exemplify his talent. The exhibition is housed in the Azzedine Alaia Association, which Alaia setup in 2007 as a non-profit foundation and as part of his legacy. Even though I’ve seen a number of Alaia exhibitions in previous years, the beauty of his work never ceases to make me gasp. The clothes are not just fashion; they personify a unique and timeless style. Many of the designs are from the 8os, but yet could be worn today and still be showstoppers. Saillard intelligently curated the exhibition by using minimalist backgrounds and simple mannequins, so nothing would detract from the magnificent garments.
I fondly remember a personal moment with Alaia about five years ago; I took a client to see the Marais boutique and when I rang the bell, Azzedine himself answered the door and said “Bonjour!” Flabbergasted in the moment, we thought it was such a humble gesture.
Azzedine Alaia “Je Suis Couturier”
Until June 22
18 rue de Verrerie, 75004
Metro: Hotel de Ville
Open daily 11AM-7PM
Click on link below to read more about Alaia in a recent NY Times article
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20/fashion/whats-next-for-alaia.html
My Apartment for Rent March 13 to April 2
I am renting my apartment out from March 13 to April 2, with a minumum of 7 nights. Price $190 per night,10% if you rent it more than 7 nights.
Centrally located in the heart of the Marais near the St. Paul metro station, it's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C, washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.
Photos upon request. Please email me at r.nahem@gmail.com if you are interested.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $210)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday
Richard, that Azzedine Alaia exhibit looks fantastic! I am so ticked that this wasn't open when I was in Paris in December. The dresses are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing the photos. That NY Times article was an interesting read too, love the idea of turning his atelier into a museum of sorts. Seems a good way to honor him! Great post, I enjoyed reading it and looking at the beautiful photos.
Posted by: Zee S | January 27, 2018 at 04:38 AM