Azzedine Alaïa: Fashion's Rebel With a Cause

Fashion's faithful may all worship in different temples–but most make a pilgrimage, sooner or later, to the altar of Azzedine Alaïa. In the larger context of "designer fashion," Alaïa is an anomaly: he ignores trends, turns away retailers who rub him the wrong way and shows (and ships) collections according to his own idiosyncratic schedule. Which at least partially explains why, on Sunday, October 10–several days after most of the fashion flock had left Paris–Alaïa sent his models down his runway for the benefit of a favored few.

Women worship Azzedine Alaïa because Alaïa worships women–it's that simple. Few designers understand a woman's curves better than this nimble Tunisian, which has kept him in demand for 30 years. What did Stephanie Seymour wear to marry Peter Brant in 1995? A clingy white Alaïa gown literally sewn onto her by the designer. What did Naomi Campbell don for her recent court appearance in The Hague? A prim-yet-sexy cream Alaïa dress with a matching cardigan. And what have supermodels, socialites and other beauties been clamoring for since 1980? Alaïa, Alaïa and more Alaïa.

Sunday's show offered classics (like the slinky white column, above left), but some twists, too–namely, ballerina-like silhouettes pairing fitted tops with short, full skirts (imagine Dégas' Little Dancer as Daria and you'll have the idea). Alaïa is no stranger to full skirts, but this was a slight departure–the flare he gives to a skirt has typically sprung from the hip rather than this season's waist. It's a great look, but you've got to have the figure–and, more importantly, the legs–to carry it off. Fashion's gods are many things, but they're not forgiving.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don Alaïa

The threat of a full-bore '80s revival can give one pause, but it also summons visions of powerful women wearing Azzedine Alaïa, one true bright spot–a fashion lodestar, in fact, still radiating brilliance–in an era that now seems light years away. A recent dash through the racks at Bergdorf Goodman saw my beautiful 23-year-old shopping companion literally stopped in her tracks by an Alaïa dress and swoon-inducing shoes. This brought to mind Suzy Gershman's Moscow Rule of Shopping, from Born to Shop. It was written before Russia joined the global marketplace, but the advice is sound:

The Moscow Rule of Shopping is one of my most basic shopping rules. Average
shoppers...want to see everything available, then return for the purchase of choice. However, if you live in Russia...you must buy something the minute you see it,
[or] it will be gone. Hence this international law: the Moscow Rule of
Shopping. Buy it when you see it, understanding that you may never see it again.

Alaïa is a notoriously contrary designer: he doesn't court the fashion press, he doesn't advertise (other than dressing some of the world's most beautiful models) and his shipments to retailers are haphazard, at best. Savvy women who stumble across his creations tend to snap them up, knowing they won't have a second chance. These shoes are at Browns, London (online, too). But hurry: She who hesitates is lost.