Like a game of chess in black and white, sleek sheaths confront virginal dresses in pristine cotton and English embroidery, inspired by memories of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion in Tunis. First shown on January 23, 2003, this masterful collection feels as fresh as if it had walked the runway only six months, a week, a day ago. Time no longer obeys the seasons, it moves with freedom. A lesson in style and presence, brilliantly orchestrated by Olivier Saillard, Joe McKenna and Carla Sozzani, under the blazing light of an unbounded homage. Zips spiralling around sheaths, jackets that hold their structure yet remain supple, all deepen the mystery of a creation signed Azzedine Alaïa.
Beyond the triumphs of the ’80s and the setbacks that followed, the new century offered Alaïa the chance to reach for an absolute. As Olivier Saillard observed, this was “the ultimate chapter, one that, in all its majesty, embodies the excellence of his work.” At 68, the couturier was entering a final phase that crowned his mastery. He no longer needed to prove his technical superiority; it was a given. His pursuit of the perfect cut had grown quieter, more abstract, its sophistication heightened by its apparent simplicity. From this perspective and with effortless poise, the jackets, coats and dresses marked the culmination of a lifetime at the atelier.
Bruce Weber’s photographs and a 25-minute film by Joe McKenna extend the experience: a journey through fittings, the atelier, and the intimacy of Alaïa’s kitchen and dining room. Each image, each frame, contributes to the exacting celebration of the couturier who once affirmed: “I love clothes that remain beautiful and timeless, untouched by details, embellishments or colours that make them age too soon. The simplest are always the hardest to achieve.”
Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
18, rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
Tél. +33 (0)1 87 44 87 75
Until 16 November 2025
L.B.
