Vintage Alaia Black Faux Fur Collar Dress
View Similar Items
Vintage Alaia Black Faux Fur Collar Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: L (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU45388722
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.
- Vintage Moschino Italian Flag "Fake" Glass Bead DressBy MoschinoLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Moschino by Franco Moschino black and white "Fake" text mini dress with a white graphic arrow and glass necklace collar. The decorative necklace features the colors of the Italian flag...Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vintage Moschino Couture Navy & Red Big Dot DressBy Moschino CoutureLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage navy and red Moschino Couture by Franco Moschino rayon blend shift mini dress: featuring navy and red insets, "Sorry, these dots ar...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli Runway Black Zip Embellished Long DressBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Los Angeles, CAA stunning vintage Roberto Cavalli black embellished zipper dress. The dress features long sleeves, below the knee hemline, and an asymmetrical gold-tone zipper from neckline to rear...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Versace Black Velvet Cutout Dress 2004By VersaceLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection is pleased to offer a Versace black velvet body-con dress featuring one sleeve, high neck with side cutout and silver-tone Medusa snap, side zipper, internal mesh half b...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Maison Martin Margiela Satin Car Seat Collection Dress 2006By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Maison Martin Margiela black satin dress with a v neckline that is decorated with studs, an unlet hem with studs, and inspired by car seat...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Galanos Black And White Stripe Gown And ShawlBy GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Galanos black and white silk column gown adorned with jewel and beaded overlapping front detail and double straps. The gown comes with a matching stripe shawl featuring fring...Category
20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- F/2012 look # 6 NEW VERSACE MACRAME GOTHIC CROSS COCKTAIL SILK DRESS 38 - 2By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Actual Runway Samole Fall/Winter 2012 Look # 6 Macrame Gothic Cross Cocktail Dress This long sleeve, turtle neck cocktail dress features an allover macrame Gothic cross...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- The little black dress by Chanel black and white silk Sculpted figureLocated in Bilbao, ESAbsence of vulgarity was central to Chanel’s definition of luxury, a view formed during her impoverished early life. Born in 1883 in Saumur, France, as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, she was just 12 years old when her mother died and her itinerant father put her in a home for orphaned girls run by a local convent. She learned to sew and, upon moving to Moulins six years later, became a seamstress. She also sang in nightclubs, earning the sobriquet “Coco,” an allusion to a popular song of the time. Beautiful, one of a kind vintage silk dress and jacket for everyday ware as a coktail dress...Category
1990s Aesthetic Evening Dresses
$2,712 Sale Price32% Off - Thierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown, c.1980sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in New York, NYThierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown, c.1980s Thierry Mugler Strapless Black Satin Gown featuring asymmetrical, gathered corseted bodice with rhi...Category
1980s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- MICHAEL KORS Purple Stretch Jersey Draped Gown with Open Back Size 10By Michael KorsLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Michael Kors gown is composed of a radiant soft stretch purple jersey. The classic long sleeve style is modernized with an exquisite open back. There is a top button closure at ...Category
20th Century Unknown Evening Gowns
- 1980s Sequin and Satin Cocktail DressBy Saks Fifth AvenueLocated in Alford, MACocktail dress featuring an all-over black sequin bodice and a gunmetal satin skirt, the bodice with jewel neckline and long sleeves, the satin skirt with box pleats sewn down with a...Category
Late 20th Century Indian Evening Dresses
- GALANOS Black Silk Gown with Structured Shoulder and Blouson Sleeve, 1990'sBy GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a long sleeve black silk crepe gown by Galanos, from the 1990's and labeled from I. Magnin. The gown has long, puffy sleeves, shoulder pads, and zips up the back. There is ...Category
1960s Evening Gowns