Alaïa Takes on Atlanta
The SCAD Fash museum, part of the Savannah College of Art and Design, recently invited the creations of famed designer Azzedine Alaïa (1935–2017) and Gilbert Adrian (1903-1959). As mentioned by SCAD Fash, “Alaïa was a consummate collector of Adrian’s work, reveling in the designer’s fit, form, and proportion.” Thi exhibition is in partnership with the Association Azzedine Alaïa in Paris and this is the designer’s “first posthumous U.S museum exhibition, nearly 20 years after his last stateside show.” This exhibition focuses on the mastery of the tailoring and the cut; it also showcases both the tailored looks of both the designers as well as their career-defining pieces of work.
Adrien is known for his works for the Wizard of Oz and was the “head of costume design at MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood (1924-41).” He dressed Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo among other mega Hollywood superstars. On the other hand, Alaïa gained popularity during 1980-1990 as he started dressed supermodels such as Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Furthermore, the exhibit was curated by fashion historian and curator Olivier Saillard and organized for SCAD Fash by Rafael Gomez.
The exhibition took my breath away from the very first moment that I entered the room. The gowns were absolutely exquisite and the fashion students at SCAD did a beautiful job at laying out and designing the whole museum room and exhibit. The show started with jaw-dropping gowns, one of which worn by the famous Grace Jones. In each gown, you could see the meticulous details that make the dress into a work of art. They were not lying when they said this exhibit showed the mastery of cut because in every piece you could see the extensive knowledge needed in order to create them as they often employed advanced sewing and design techniques.
The first half of the exhibit hosted beautiful and elegant pieces of evening wear, while the second half showcased gorgeous formal wear. For me, a well-tailored suit or blazer is one of the hardest things to create because it needs extreme precision and fit. Every formal piece was just astounding and I totally wanted to own every single piece there. All the pieces together created such an amazing moment.
I highly recommend this exhibit for everyone because of it in the heart of Atlanta and showcases some stunning pieces of work. You should definitely attend if you have a love for fashion or appreciate beautiful pieces of art. I promise you that your jaw will also drop when you first walk in.
For more information about the exhibit, visit: https://www.scadfash.org/exhibitions/alaia-adrian-masters-cut
