Stunning Azzedine Alaia embroidery at Palais Galliera

After 4 years of renovation, the Palais Galliera has just reopened its doors. For the event the museum has been restored to its original 1895 look, featuring Pompeii red walls and framed with matte black doors. Olivier Saillard, its director, chose to show Azzedine Alaïa’s work here. He considers the couturier to be like the spiritual son of Madame Grès and Cristobal Balenciaga, (who he devoted two outdoor museum exhibitions to).
This flashback of 50 years of design enables us to discover his most significant dresses which he kept away from fashion shows in order to devote himself to inventing a style. A choice which he confirmed in the catalogue’s opening interview: “By opposing the superficial seasons and fashion shows, I’ve been one of the only people daring enough to break this demanding schedule that neglects design in favour of performance (…). To those who say to me ‘Alaïa, we don’t see you in catwalks anymore’ I tell them we do them every day but instead the audience is made up of a single new client or a panel of buyers”