This fall, Azzedine Alaïa — a “totally important designer,” to quote the 1995 film comedy “Clueless” — is getting his first major U.S. retrospective tracing the connections between his sculptural designs, visual arts, pop culture and the history of fashion.
“Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion,” slated to open Nov. 21 at the Legion of Honor, will feature about 80 garments from across the Tunisian-born, Paris-based designer’s career and his collection of historic fashion.
Alaïa (1940-2017) is considered a master of structural, body-conscious garments and was widely celebrated in his lifetime. In the 1980s and ‘90s, his technical innovations in construction and fabrication allowed the natural curves of a woman’s form to be displayed in an era of exaggerated and heavily manipulated silhouettes. He is widely regarded as having combined strength and sexuality while empowering women through dress.
The exhibition will also present Alaïa’s designs in conversation with works from the museum’s permanent collection.
Curated by Laura Camerlengo, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco curator in charge of costume and textile arts, and Fondation Azzedine Alaïa Director Olivier Saillard, the show will celebrate his enduring influence on contemporary style.
Camerlengo also told the Chronicle the goal is to emphasize the designer’s “legacy as a catalyst for feminist self-fashioning.”
“Alaïa existed somewhat outside of the conventional fashion system,” said Camerlengo, who noted that he challenged accepted cycles of production and presentation schedules in the industry.
“I think that mentality has resonance in an area that often challenges the status quo,” she continued, noting that the designer was honored by San Francisco’s Academy of Art University and the Mayor’s Office in 2005.
Alaïa was also a trained sculptor, as well as a collector and student of historical fashion and haute couture. Both informed the way he approached design, Camerlengo said.
Incorporating Alaïa’s work into the European painting, sculpture, decorative arts and ancient arts collections “had special appeal because that was how Alaïa liked to show his own work,” said Camerlengo.
“Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion” will be divided into key themes including bandage dresses; sculpture and shape; silhouettes and suiting; black and white; and construction and craftsmanship. Looks worn by performers including Grace Jones, Rihanna and Tina Turner will be on display, with particular attention to Alaïa’s role in helping Turner reshape her image in the ’80s.
“We even have the beaded dress worn by her in the famous 1989 Peter Lindbergh photograph,” Camerlengo said, referring to an image of singer clinging to the side of the Eiffel Tower. “That was the culmination of her reasserting herself as a solo performer and emerging out of a decades-long, abusive relationship.
“Alaïa’s design emphasizes her muscular legs, in particular. She looks so strong, sexy and empowered.”