Two Masters of Haute Couture: Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior
A truly enchanting Paris fairytale, Two Masters of Haute Couture illustrates a fascinating dialogue between Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior.
This exhibition at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation showcases a dictionary of the craft of couture, a shared language of savoir-faire with its’ own grammar, vocabulary and lexicon; structure, architecture, proportion, precision, rigour, time, patience, mastery.
In 1956 Azzedine Alaïa travelled to Paris from Tunisia to realise his dream of working in the Christian Dior atelier to learn from the couturière who created dresses that “seemed to stand up by themselves”. Christian Dior opened his couture house at 30 Avenue Montaigne in 1947 to launch the New Look, a legendary collection that came to define the 1950s feminine silhouette. Alaïa began collecting Haute Couture fashion in 1968. Originally a student of sculpture, the work of Madeleine Vionnet, Cristobal Balenciaga, Charles James and Madame Grès feature in the impressive archive of 18,000 dresses. Forever an admirer, 596 0f the dresses are from Christian Dior.
Placed side-by-side in the exhibition we are invited to observe the dialogue between two masters of Haute Couture. The complex architecture of foundation wear beneath an alluring silhouette. The profound knowledge, mastery and manipulation of fabric; weave, structure, drape and tailoring. Rather than a blockbuster extravaganza, in the quiet, intimate space we are invited to slowly, generously admire the work of both craftspeople. To peer closer at the stitches, pleated, darts, folds and drape, to wonder about the architecture, foundation and construction, to marvel at the beauty of these fashions and to understand their value to French art, craft, heritage and culture.
The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation is a jewel of a museum, often overlooked, the serene courtyard, excellent bookshop and light-filled gallery space are in the former studio and home of the designer. I left the exhibition filled with admiration, appreciation and inspiration, dreaming of a wardrobe filled with faille de soie evening gowns!
