Making our way through the busy streets of Paris; sirens wailing and people looking for a place to have lunch IRK ventured to a tucked away courtyard in the lower Marais where the Association Azzedine Alaia’s Gallery is located.
Historian and fashion curator Olivier Saillard has chosen forty-one creations to highlight some of the most iconic silhouettes the late designer's artistic career.
The exhibition design conveys a sense of hushed from city sounds, an intimacy in keeping with the personality of the designer. The viewer has the opportunity to get close to the dresses and take a studied look at the the craftsmanship. It's an opportunity to examine how technical details such as how the seams are hidden and to truly appreciate the details which you would not be visible in a magazine. Alaia’s creations are exceedingly feminine; the dresses are minimalist and skin tight. He stated “I like when they are beautiful and timeless, not cluttered with details, ornaments, and colours that prematurely age them. The simplest are the most difficult to create.”
What is inspiring is how the Alaia has draped and formed the fabric leading to personalizing the silhouette of a woman's body. Moving between the dresses the viewer is reminded who wore each of the masterpieces, the invisible body forms allow you to imagine Grace Jones standing in front of you in a striking black dress with a hood created in 1986.
Azzadine Alaia allowed women to be women; the dresses are magnificent and continue to steal the show presented by themselves, but at the same time the dresses don't overpower the beauty of the wearer.
The exhibition is open everyday from 11h00 to 19h00, and it is located in the lower Marais 18 rue de la Verriere, 75004.
A worthwhile visit to experience the artistry of a beautiful artistic pieces crafted by a great designer.
