Azzedine Alaïa Fitted Blazer FW1990
View Similar Items
Azzedine Alaïa Fitted Blazer FW1990
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: French 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU583314787272
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.
- Issey Miyake Jacket (1991)By Issey MiyakeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage jacket by Issey Miyake 1991 Made in Japan Black Pleated throughout Angled sleeves 100% silk Excellent vintage condition; some small snags but otherwise very little visua...Category
1990s Japanese Jackets
$5,795 - Chloé Moto JacketBy ChloéLocated in Los Angeles, CAChloé Motorcycle Jacket Made in France Vintage Black Cotton Reinforced cotton gives jacket a structured fit Four pockets with zip closures Oversize gold zippers Mandarin style ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Jackets
- Saint Laurent Motorcycle Leather w/ Shearling JacketBy Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAMotorcycle Leather Jacket with Shearling by Saint Laurent Black leather Tan shearling detail on collar Asymmetrical zip up closure Silver tone closu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Jackets
- Gucci Late 90s Black Knit and Fur Zippered CardiganBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in Los Angeles, CAKnit and Fur Zippered Cardigan by Tom Ford for Gucci Circa 1999 Solid Black Long sleeves High neck Knit with fur trim on front, shoulders, and arms Bell cuffs Silver-tone front zip...Category
1990s Italian Jackets
- Christian Dior 1960s Copper and Black Tiger Print Sequin JacketBy Christian DiorLocated in Los Angeles, CAChristian Dior 1960s Copper and Black Tiger Print Sequin Jacket Vintage; 1960s Copper/Black Tiger stripe print sequins Collarless Round neck Ope...Category
1960s French Jackets
- Dolce & Gabbana Black Wool Structured Tie-Waist BlazerBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Los Angeles, CADolce & Gabbana Black Wool Structured Tie-Waist Blazer Black Structured shoulders Front welt pockets Fitted waist with attached self-tie Pearly gold-tone DG buttons Crop fit above t...Category
2010s Italian Blazers
- Vintage Terry Paris Gold Medallion Leather Lace JacketLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLFabulous early 1990's Terry Paris Versace style jacket. Beautiful decorative goldtone medusa head medallions. Lace embellishment. Goldtone button closure a...Category
1990s French Jackets
- Rare Schiaparelli Black Quilted Faille Evening Cape, 1951By House of SchiaparelliLocated in New York, NYRare Schiaparelli Haute Couture Mandarin Black Quilted Faille Cape, 1951 Amazingly chic and modern quilted silk faille Haute Couture cape by Elsa Schiaparelli from the 1950's. M...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Capes
Price Upon Request - Schiaparelli Haute Couture Black Changeant Faille Evening JacketBy Elsa SchiaparelliLocated in New York, NYSchiaparelli Haute Couture Changeant Faille Jacket, 1938-39. "France gave me the inspiration: America gave me the approval" Elsa Schiapa...Category
1940s French Jackets
Price Upon Request - Extraordinary Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture Evening JacketBy Elsa SchiaparelliLocated in New York, NY"In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous" Elsa Schiaparelli,1930's. "Life has changed so much, A Schiaparelli was never made for the streets." Karl Lagerfeld, 1970's. 2 quotes,2 designers, 4 decades apart. 4 decades later. Although these quotes are highly debatable, especially in the context of today's high-low designer collabs and pop up retailing, iconic fashion endures. Whether now relegated to a museum exhibition, a collector's acid free box or a celebrity one nighter, these fashion artifacts from the french Haute Couture of the 1930's echo a time, pace and culture unrecognizable to most people today. Schiaparelli changed the definition of what it meant to be a designer at an important time in the evolution of the Haute Couture. Rather than simply making beautifully elegant garments (which she also did), she focused on the concepts behind the pieces. For her fashion was a fluid medium and she effortlessly blended fashion, politics and the fine arts. She was one of the most innovative and rebellious designers of the period working against what she considered the stale fashion currents of the day. She was elegant yet untrained. As a protege of Poiret, she gained entry into the world of Parisian fashion. While her rival Chanel was essentially uneducated and a “primitive” in the artistic circles in which she socialized, Schiaparelli’s impeccable social credentials as the daughter of an old and distinguished Roman family gave her a relatively easy entree into Paris society. She was a subversive, a punk, a desecrator, a collaborator, an innovator as well as the ultimate insider whose plans on design domination and creating "la zone rose" for the modern world were cut short by the advent of WWII. She was at the height of her influence and power showing 4 iconic collections in the last years of the decade. Fascinating to consider what the House of Schiaparelli could have brought forth in the following decades had the world not been swept away in turmoil at that moment. In the context of her short prewar career, few remaining masterworks have survived. The rare "moment" she created in the 30's lives on within each art piece, safelocked away within each stitch and sequin. Each design retains her spirit and legacy as a free thinking, modernist rebel who used the avantegarde as her platform in the most creative period of fashion design in the 20th Century. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rare and Important Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture...Category
1930s French Jackets
Price Upon Request - JUNYA WATANABE Comme Des Garçons SS2010 tailored houndstooth runway blazerBy Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe Comme des GarçonsLocated in Berlin, BEInsane houndstooth blazer by Junya Watanabe from his 2010 spring collection. Tailored to perfection, this blazer is a work of art! This collection which focused on menswear for wome...Category
2010s Japanese Blazers
- Azzedine Alaia Spring 1991 2 Pieces SetBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Brooklyn, NYIncredible and very rare Azzedine Alaia 2 pieces set in sting ray embossed leather from Spring Summer 1991 collection. This one of a kind set includes a cropped jacket that closes wi...Category
1990s Jackets
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Azzedine Alaïa Was a Couturier Who Thought Like a Sculptor
The first fashion exhibit to be held at the new London Design Museum celebrates the famed Tunisian-Parisian couturier's lifetime of work.
The Personal Luxury Goods Market amid COVID-19
1stDibs dealers discuss the challenges of this unprecedented time, and the signs of hope.