Azzedine Alaïa's Dior Collection

 

“A dress holds three memories. The memory of the couturier who made it, the atelier that realised it, and the woman who wore it.” - Azzedine Alaïa

My initial visit to Dior's huge, Parisian flagship complex occurred just over a year ago, (here). My visit on this occasion was to see a special display entitled - Azzedine Alaïa's Dior Collection. Designer Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017), was an avid collector and admirer of the work of Christian Dior and other significant couturiers. Concerned about the preservation of great couture Alaïa started to secretly amass a highly significant collection of hundreds of pieces of couture and fashion by renowned names in the industry such as Balenciaga, Madame Grès, Vionnet and the rarest of all Paul Poiret, now preserved in a secret location by the foundation set up in his name. Despite amassing the collection though, Alaïa never displayed any of his collected treasures in his lifetime. Alaïa started accumulating at a time when couture houses had not yet grasped the importance of their own archives. Dior didn’t establish its archive department until 1987 – nearly 20 years after Alaïa began collecting. What essentially attracted Alaïa were the silhouettes of Dior garments– the invention of “the line.” Alaïa aimed for the most complete representation of Dior’s work possible, collecting pieces that demonstrate technical mastery—complex pleating, innovative cutting, construction that reveals the hand of a master. Alaïa’s Dior Collection is essentially the story of how one couturier diligently preserved the heritage of another. Alaïa's collection is considered the largest private fashion archive on record: some 20,000 pieces, acquired from 1968 until his death in 2017. Among this are around 600 designs by Christian Dior and his successors from Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano who designed under the Dior label. La Galerie Dior is currently showcasing more than one hundred of these Alaïa-owned pieces by Dior. Alaïa commented that Dior's dresses "seemed to stand up all by themselves", and amassed the collection to discover for himself the secrets of cutting and draping techniques as well as structure and silhouette, all essential knowledge for any aspiring couturier. Arriving in Paris from Tunisia, Alaïa brought a letter of recommendation from a former client to the Dior ateliers, where he was subsequently hired by Dior for a few days in 1956. He had fond memories of the demanding Dior workshops on Avenue Montaigne. Visitors can find his original employee contract – a single, grid-lined card noting a start date of June 26, 1956 – among the historical documents, sketches, photographs, and magazine covers that complement the creations on display. This visit added considerably to my knowledge of both the work of Alaïa and the house of Dior and also about the nature of collecting and the passion that drives it, a theme I have looked at in the art world but not tackled previously in fashion. There is a corresponding exhibition which contrasts and compares the designs of Alaïa and Dior across town at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa which I also visited on this trip to Paris and will be the subject of a future post. After climbing the iconic curving cantilevered staircase lined with a multicoloured multitude of miniature Dior dresses and accessories, the visitor arrives at the top floor and first gallery giving a personal history of Christian Dior and the brand he created, There is a rusted metal star the designer found in the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (above), a sign if ever there was one that he should open his own fashion house. We then see an outfit featuring the iconic Bar jacket by the designer, part of his "New Look". Visitors are then led on a procession through the numerous exhibition rooms of La Galerie Dior of Dior dresses collected by Azzedine Alaïa, presented in beautiful series of complementary tableaux. The first dimly-lit gallery is garden-themed, rich in decoration with some fabulous dresses which are a testament to the dressmakers art. Perhaps the most breath-taking is the large open space featuring models on three levels with an impressive moving visuals backdrop. This exhibition like that at Louvre last year (here), is a must for any fan of fashion and the art of couture dressmaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Azzedine Alaïa's Dior Collection

until 3rd May 

La Galerie Dior

11, rue François-Ier, 

Paris 

75008