Alaia Book by Steidl Rare Out Of Print Bruce Weber Helmut Newton, 1987
View Similar Items
Alaia Book by Steidl Rare Out Of Print Bruce Weber Helmut Newton, 1987
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Length: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Outer box has some damage, book is excellent.
- Seller Location:Cloverdale, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU583720023
Azzedine Alaïa
Master Couturier, King of Cling: legendary fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa (1935–2017) is known by many names, each referring to his unparalleled ability to mold fabric onto the female form in unexpected and radical ways. The Tunisian-born designer spent his entire life in relentless pursuit of a wholly distinctive and most-flattering fit.
“For me, fashion is the body,” said Alaïa. “I make clothes; women make fashion.”
Alaïa is credited with inventing the supermodel through his exclusive fashion shows, the body-con dress — which, quite literally, hugs the body and emphasizes and embraces every curve — and pioneering what industry professionals have taken to calling “slow fashion.” The designer openly rejected empty, of-the-moment fads as well as the structure of biannual seasons and instead took his time, unhurried by press and releasing collections at his own pace. Most importantly, Alaïa was a visionary when it came to traditional notions of femininity and sexuality. At a time when loose, soft silhouettes were the norm, Alaïa’s sexy, waist-cinching hourglass and body-con outfits were shocking.
Alaïa’s “body-conscious clothes,” wrote fashion critic Suzy Menkes, “seemed a deliberate challenge — throwing down a sexist gauntlet in a feminist world.”
While powerful women such as Madonna, Michelle Obama, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington wear Alaïa’s creations today, his origins were remarkably humble.
Born to a farming family, Alaïa always had a creative streak. As a young boy, he would flip through women’s fashion magazines and quickly became interested in the design of women's clothing. He went on to study sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Tunis and later worked as a tailor for a dressmaker before he found work creating garments based on Parisian haute couture designs. The combination of his classical training in sculpture and practical experience as a tailor convinced Alaïa that fashion was his calling. In 1957, he moved to Paris and worked for Christian Dior for less than a week before being fired. From there, Alaïa secured a job with Guy Laroche and opened his own maison in the 1970s.
At his core, Alaïa was a couturier who cut and sewed his samples himself. He also experimented with zips, seams, unexpected materials, textures, animal prints and floral patterns like an artist. Today, Alaïa’s clothes look untouched by the passage of time and the various trends that have materialized since their debut; they are as fresh, stylish and stunning as ever. His garments are pop-culture icons in their own right: Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone in 1995’s Clueless, exasperated with a perpetrator holding her at gunpoint, declares, “But this is an Alaïa!”
Vintage Alaïa evening dresses, skirts and other attire continue to influence contemporary designers such as Nicolas Ghesquière and Hervé Léger. Not only are his clothes timeless in their glamour, but they also represent the groundbreaking vision of an artist, one who was known to proclaim, “I am not a designer. I am a couturier.”
Find a collection of Azzedine Alaïa day dresses, suits, jackets and more on 1stDibs.
- Rare Hard Cover Art Deco Jewelry Book from Rizzoli by Sylvie Raulet c 1984By RizzoliLocated in University City, MOThe rare hardcover large scale coffee table Rizzoli book is an extraordinary archive of 20th century art deco jewelry and accessories The 329 page book features exquisite art deco d...Category
1980s Italian Fashion
- 1972 VOGUE - Cover by Saul LeiterBy VogueLocated in London, GB1972 VOGUE Magazine- February Issue - Cover by Saul Leiter, 119 pages, in colour and black/white On Cover: "Wildflowers", photographed by Saul Leiter Features: What to wear with wh...Category
1970s British Fashion
- 1959 Vogue - Cover by Eugene VernierBy VogueLocated in London, GBVogue UK 1959 January Issue, photo Eugene Vernier, ski and cruise clothes, Tony Armstrong Jones. This issue's cover Vogue cover is one of the inspirational images behind Iain R Webb'...Category
1950s British Fashion
- 1975 Vogue - Cover Anna Andersen by Eric BomanBy VogueLocated in London, GBBRITISH VOGUE Magazine, 1st October 1975, Number 13, Whole Number 2120, Volume 132, 190 pages, Anna Andersen by Eric Boman on the cover Features: Photographs by Bary Lategan, Tosca...Category
1970s British Fashion
- 1977 VOGUE- Cover by Barry Lategan at Golden BayBy VogueLocated in London, GB1977 VOGUE November, Number 8, Volume 134, 220 pages, in colour and black/white, Doubled cover On Cover: "Flattery, photograph by Barry Lategan taken at Golden Bay, Malta, via Air M...Category
1970s British Fashion
- 1999 Millennium Vogue - Special Silver CoverBy VogueLocated in London, GBBritish Vogue Magazine celebrating the dawn of a new era, the December 1999 issue of Vogue presented a two-sided mirrored cover. A thoughtful homage to the past and tantalizing glimp...Category
1990s British Fashion