Paris, France — The great couturier Azzedine Alaïa left behind an enormous legacy to the world of art, style, design and fashion. But not only his unique, precise, ultimately wearable creations but his very own, extremely well-documented collection of great pieces of fashion from the end of the 19th century to his 21st century contemporaries. 

As we swing into Paris couture week in January, the time is right to see this exceptional collection at the Palais, Galliera, the fashion museum of the city of Paris. The exhibition, entitled Azzedine Alaïa, Couturier and Collector, is showcasing this remarkable heritage collection and features some 140 exceptional pieces. Alaïa (1935-2017) collected over 20,000 pieces documenting the art of his predecessors, from the birth of haute couture in the late 19th century to pieces by some of his contemporaries. 

This priceless collection was built up by the designer (and collector) in total secrecy. Nobody saw it during his lifetime, neither in France nor elsewhere. And yet, he was the world’s foremost collector of some of the most prestigious couturiers in history, including Worth, Jeanne Lanvin, Jean Patou, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Madame Grès, Paul Poiret, Gabrielle Chanel, Madeleine Vionnet, Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior. Contemporary creation is represented by pieces by Jean Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler and Yohji Yamamoto. 

« For many years now, I’ve been buying and receiving dresses, coats and jackets that reflect the glorious history of fashion. It has become part of my corporate attitude to preserve them, a mark of solidarity with those who, before me, knew the pleasures and demands of the scissor. It is my personal tribute to all the crafts and all the ideas that these garments embody, » Azzedine Alaïa once commented.

The show enables the visitor to wonder at the skillful cuts of Balenciaga, the unbridled originality of Chanel, the totally new looks from Dior. A real gem are three stage costumes designed by Henri Matisse for the Ballets Russes in 1919 which are also on display just across the way in the Salle Matisse of the Musée d’Art Moderne, pieces which underscore the breadth and depth of Alaïa’s skill at collecting. Special to The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/enExhibition until January 21st. Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de Paris, 10, Avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie, Paris 75116, tel: + 33 (0)1 56 52 86 00