This designer, originally from Tunis, was originally interested in sculpture and tried his hand at it during his time at the École de Beaux Arts de Tunis. Upon arriving in Paris in the 50s, Alaïa, already having worked in couture, surrounded himself with a tight circle of loyal and well-off clients, such as Simone Zehrfuss and Louise de Vilmorin, revealing his latest creations to them in a cramped attic room. To perfect his technique, Azzedine Alaïa dove into the workshops of Guy Laroche to take away a mastery for textiles that had previously eluded his sculptor sensibilities. Once established on the Rue de Bellechasse, Alaïa began his timeless work as a sculptor of the female body. He would create his first zipped dress in the 70s in honor of one of the most famous French actresses of all time: the great Arletty.
The inspiration for this emblematic dress came to him from one of the outfits worn by the actress in Marcel Carné’s l’Hôtel du Nord (1938). Playing the role of Madame Raymonde, Arletty sported a beige robe who’s zipper went over her bust sideways and closed on the breast. Alaïa captured the idea and rendered it immortal in a creation that still resonates today in the fashion world. The Arletty dress, this great piece of fabric, envelops and marvelously espouses the female curves. This piece, at the crossroads of sculpture, art, and fashion, is held together by this metallic thread that winds around a shapely body, revealing a dress created out of love for women.
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