New York is a woman
holding, according to history,
a rag called liberty with one hand
and strangling the earth with the other.
(Extract from the poem “The Funeral of New York”, Adonis, 1971.)
Dear Shaded Viewers,
When checking-in to a new press-buying season within the arts and fashion, you can never reliably trace which events will eventually be the ultimate exclusives. Despite this, those occurring in private salons inevitably are – and it proved to be the case with ALAÏA’s A/W15 launch event, which was well attended by a largely indecipherable group of people. The crowd was treated to Azzedine Alaïa’s vision of A/W15’s woman, which through a combination of aesthetic and rhythmic qualities achieved a stunningly rich balance between the female body and poetry.
When ALAÏA’s showroom campaign ended, and Paris thought we might now fully rest after two turbulent months of fashion, Galerie Azzedine Alaïa added one extra dimension: la culture. It seems the designer’s final reverence towards his dream winter woman can’t be seen without considering artistic forms within intellectual arenas. It is an expression of his belief that women should find enough moments to share, to face art together with others and to deliberate on ultimate beauty. When absent in their agendas, women should feel free to create them.
Being a qualified expert in both art & fashion, Azzedine Alaïa brought aspects of each into his event. He collaborated with the gallery’s guest artist, weaving the seductive poetry of Syrian born, Lebanese poet Ali Ahmad Said Esber (pen name Adonis) into the evening. Adonis also pursues an artistic career focused on mixing his favored verses with calligraphy, so it seemed fitting that these two voices fused with such immaculate detail. With Adonis splashing colours on vague texts and Alaïa imaginatively weaving around the female skin, this was a pure expression of art produced by magic hands.
The parallel between the thinker and the designer was on display in their figurative designs. With ALAÏA’s dancing fringes on the first skirt, ergonomic knits, razor-sharp tailoring, and the use of “king scallop” printed black leather, all efforts were made to address the strong minded woman. It was an evening where both the thinker and designer were targeting female hearts and minds.
Best,
MHM.
AZZEDINE ALAÏA.
Galerie Azzedine Alaïa.
“A“ – A survey of visual works by the poet Adonis.
Until 10th May 2015 – Open everyday 11:00AM – 7:00 PM
18, rue de la Verrerie 75004 Paris
Photos: Courtesy of Azzedine Alaïa.
