Azzedine Alaia (1935-2017) was not only a world-renowned fashion designer but also an avid collector of vintage fashion. Now a major exhibition at the Palais Galliera, Paris, Azzedine Alaia showcases the extensive collection he built up over the decades, driven by his fascination with the history of couture and his desire to conserve its heritage for future generations. Accumulated in utmost secrecy and never revealed during his lifetime, the sumptuous selection of garments ranges from the nineteenth-century elegance of Jacques Doucet and the House of Worth to the names that shaped twentieth-century fashion--Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Schiaparelli--and contemporary innovators such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. Captured in specially taken photographs, these meticulously crafted pieces are a tribute to Alaia's unerring tastes, to the couturiers who inspired and influenced him, and to his endless respect for the craftspeople who created such objects of lasting beauty.

Azzedine Alaïa: A Couturier's Collection

Arts & Photography

SAILLARD, Olivier

Arzalluz, Miren

Graphic Design

Thames&Hudson

Christian Lacroix is one of the most inventive and admired fashion designers in the world, and he is also incredibly well-versed in fashion history. He brings that expertise to bear in this imaginary museum of historic and contemporary fashion, telling the story of fashion from the eighteenth century to the present day and illustrating it with examples of his own designs plus historic costumes from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
"This is not a retrospective, but my own look at the costume collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, from which I chose pieces from all eras, some never before exhibited. I chose those that were most inspiring, those that best told the story of fashion that I would have wanted to tell if I were the museum curator that I intended to be when I was a student.
"My twenty years in the fashion business are another way of telling this story, and I selected the strongest designs from the haute couture collections of the House of Lacroix between 1987 and 2007, then arranged them according to themes--black and white, color, flowers, ethnic styles, and so forth--and linked them with pieces from the museum collection."--Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix is one of the most inventive and admired fashion designers in the world. He is also incredibly well-versed in fashion history, and he brings that expertise to bear in this delighful imaginary museum of historic and contemporary fashion. Each featured piece--whether from the museum's collection or the House of Lacroix--is distinguished by its cut, its detail, its color, and its texture; and the pieces are juxtaposed and photographed in a way that emphasizes their relationships across the centuries. 200 color photographs

Christian Lacroix on Fashion

Lacroix, Christian

Mauriès, Patrick

The story of fashion from the eighteenth century to the present day, as told by Christian Lacroix and illustrated with examples of his own designs and historic costumes.
"This is not a retrospective, but my own look at the costume collections of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, from which I chose pieces from all eras, some never before exhibited. I chose those that were most inspiring, those that best told the story of fashion that I would have wanted to tell if I were the museum curator that I intended to be when I was a student.
"My twenty years in the fashion business are another way of telling this story, and I selected the strongest designs from the haute couture collections of the Maison Lacroix between 1987 and 2007, then arranged them according to themes-black and white, color, flowers, ethnic styles, and so forth-and linked them with pieces from the museum collection." -Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix is one of the most inventive and admired fasion designers in the world. He is also incredibly well-versed in fashion history, and he brings that expertise to bear in this delightful imaginary museum of historic and contemporary fasion. Each featured piece-whether from the museum's collection or the Maison Lacroix-is distinguished by its cut, its detail, its color, and its texture; and the pieces are juxtaposed and photographed in a way that emphasizes their relationship across the centuries.
Patrick Mauries is the author of numerous books, including Cabinets of Curiosities. Olivier Saillard is a fashion historian and curator at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

An extraordinary collectible, Kenzo creatively presents forty years of the Paris-based fashion house, founded by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada and now in a resurgence under artistic director Antonio Marras. Established in 1970 by Kenzo Takada, who had arrived in Paris from Japan in 1965, Kenzo is one of the great French houses that transformed global fashion in the latter half of the twentieth century. Now under the artistic directorship of Antonio Marras, KENZO has again achieved critical and popular acclaim. Marras draws from the rich vein of Kenzo tradition as it engages the spirit of the new century. Armed with an unmatched vocabulary in prints and textiles, Marras mines both East and West, the present and the past, to create a collection that evokes, reveres, and reinvents the intentions of its founder. The highlights of Takada’s tenure until his retirement in 1999 are also documented here. The first monograph on KENZO, this lavish volume comes in a real fabric cover, available in three different patterns, and with a pop-up that evokes the romantic textiles, envelopes, and paper craft for which the house’s fashion collection invitations are known. Additional special features include three double-sided double gatefolds, folding out to the equivalent of eight pages, and three accordian gatefolds, folding out to five pages. This book is truly an art object in and of itself.

Kenzo

Marras, Antonio

Rizzoli

Madame Grès Couture Paris

GRAIRE, Anne

RIZZOLI FR

An exquisitely illustrated examination of the influence of fashion, as conceived and performed by Olivier Saillard and Tilda Swinton. Impossible Wardrobes documents three groundbreaking exhibitions poetically brought to life. Serving as part fashion object, part catalog, and part artist book, this work not only consists of the sole record of these critically acclaimed sold-out performances—that were by their very nature ephemeral artworks—but also serves as a unique survey of the Palais Galliera’s extraordinary collection of iconic clothing. This lavish three-book set presents the three performance pieces that spanned a period of three years. In The Impossible Wardrobe (2012), Swinton walks down a runway with a selection of historically and culturally significant garments from the past 200 years. In Eternity Dress (2013), a garment is tailor-made in front of a live audience. And in the third performance in the series, Cloakroom (2014), Swinton examines the special relationship between an item of clothing and its owner. A glorious ode to fashion, Impossible Wardrobes presents and elevates couture to a veritable art form.

Impossible Wardrobes

Swinton, Tilda

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

On January 21, 1971, couturier Yves Saint Laurent presented his Spring-Summer haute couture collection. Inspired by the garments of the war years, the collection included short dresses, platform shoes, square shoulders, and exaggerated makeup. The show caused an outrage among the public, the critics, and the press alike, earning it the title of “Paris’s ugliest collection.” Nevertheless, the haute couture designs of the runway made their way to the boulevards, giving full sway to the “retro” trend that quickly conquered the streets. Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal Collection, 1971 offers a behind-the-scenes look at the influential collection that “drew fire in the fashion world”—from the collection’s inspiration to the press coverage that followed. Beautifully illustrated and documented with well-researched essays, this book is enriched with personal interviews and archival photographs of the show, the models, the designs, and the textile and print samples, as well as sketches and international press clippings.

Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal Collection, 1971

Veillon, Dominique

Abrams Books

For more than seventy-five years, Brioni has remained the go-to tailor for the world’s most iconic men. Founded in 1945 by visionary tailors Nazareno Fonticoli and Gaetano Savini, the label’s bold designs have made it a sartorial destination for Hollywood movie stars, musicians, artists and heads of state. Transforming the landscape of menswear with impeccable standards, the Brioni name quickly became synonymous with the best in masculine style. The brand sealed its reputation as an industry leader in 1952 by presenting the first ever men’s fashion show in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti. This groundbreaking collection became the benchmark for Roman tailoring and established the modern notion of elegance in menswear. 
Featuring a personal foreword by novelist Bret Easton Ellis, Brioni: Tailoring Legends celebrates the House’s outstanding heritage and the evolution of men’s style through decades of its sartorial traditions, with rarely seen materials and original photography of archival garments.

Brioni: Tailoring Legends

Assouline

An updated monograph on the British-born artist, photographer and film-maker The catalogue of the first solo exhibition dedicated to Katerina Jebb, this book presents over a hundred photographs of the artist. The title, Deux ex machina, evokes the effect of the images created from the cold light of a machine to which Katerina Jebb grants the quasi-divine power of creation. Her collaborations with the fashion industry constitute an important part of her work – including her work for the Japanese brand Comme des Garçons or for Christian Lacroix couture. The artist also delves in the themes of portraits and still lifes. The neutral backgrounds isolate the objects and subjects, giving them a solemn appearance. She positions herself at the border of reality and fiction and plays with the fluidity of genres: are we in front of a fashion photograph or a sacred image, are we in front of a human being or a statue?

Katerina Jebb: Deus ex Machina

Rian, Jeff

Picard, Pascale

Hodgson, Francis

History & Criticism

Skira

Azzedine Alaïa, couturier collectionneur: Catalogue exposition PALAIS GALLIERA 2023

COLLECTIF

Paris-Musees

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Books by SAILLARD, Olivier