Azzedine Alaia: The Couturier
A sneaky trip to London last Saturday involved a visit to the Design Museum to observe the stunning exhibition of the late Azzedine Alaia’s work.
This was my first visit to the newly housed Design Museum, now located on Kensington High Street, and have to say the building and exhibition areas are both impressive. A wide, uncluttered space displayed these powerful creations to perfection.
The exhibits were grouped by concept rather than collection, with many ideas and themes being revisited, honed and perfected throughout his career. Unlike many designers today restarting their vision for each collection, without reflection, Alaia preferred to work to his own schedule and creativity.
He explored ideas of shape with his body-hugging dresses, flattering the female form, and volume with his cutting techniques, and precise sewing.
His clothes were clearly technically complex in design, cutting and construction. The clean layout allowed the audience a full 360 degree of many of the designs, coupled with the intimate display, we were close enough to see even the tiniest hand stitching on delicate chiffon dresses.
Sculptured, wrapped and defined, these are powerful dresses for the discerning woman. It was hard to identify a favourite, as there were too many wonderful creations from which to choose. However, below is a selection of my favourites:
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