Paris Exhibition Shows How Azzedine Alaïa and Thierry Mugler Became Fashion’s Odd Couple
PARIS — Would there have been an Azzedine Alaïa brand without Thierry Mugler?
An exhibition in Paris spotlights the unique friendship between the two designers who epitomized ’80s glamour with their sinuous creations. If some of their designs look similar, it should come as no surprise: they practically lived in each other’s pockets, even vacationing together.
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“It was a story of friendship and mutual admiration,” said Olivier Saillard, director of the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa.
The exhibit, titled “Azzedine Alaïa Thierry Mugler 1980/1990,” features 72 pieces culled from Alaïa’s archive and his personal collection of more than 200 vintage Mugler designs.
They are organized by section — skirt suits, white, leather, exotic materials — but correctly identifying which is which could stump even the most dedicated fashionphile. “I had fun mixing them up, and even I’m sometimes not sure,” Saillard confessed.
Pointed sleeves, peplums, anatomical zippers, lacing and hoods were just some of the signatures they shared. “The ‘80s brought sexy back, and the decade belonged to Mugler and Alaïa,” Saillard said.
Though Mugler was a good decade younger, he was staging shows in the ‘70s while Alaïa was working behind the scenes for private clients, or as a tailor-for-hire for couturiers like Yves Saint Laurent.
Mugler drafted Alaïa to work on a series of tuxedos for his fall 1979 collection, one of which is featured in the exhibition. The typed program notes, also on display, erroneously credited the designer as “Asdin Allaia.”
It marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Mugler subsequently convinced Alaïa to accept Bergdorf Goodman’s invitation to stage his first show in New York City in 1982.
“It was Thierry who essentially motivated Azzedine to launch his own label,” said Saillard. “Thierry even went with Azzedine to the United States. He was sending out the models backstage, and translated his interviews into English.”
Though Mugler was known for extravagant designs that transformed the female body with the use of unusual materials like rubber, Plexiglas and metal, Alaïa mostly bought his daywear pieces.
“He collected Mugler pieces that were very close to his own: a lot of suits and coats, and a few evening dresses, but the evening dresses are very minimal. It’s not the fantasy Mugler,” Saillard observed.
Mugler, who always gave Alaïa a preview of his collections, credited the Tunisian designer with making his designs more grounded. Conversely, the designer, obsessed with Hollywood’s golden age, helped Alaïa develop his sensual side.
Mugler was such a big fan, he would personally bring journalists to Alaïa’s workshop on Rue de Bellechasse.
When Alaïa was awarded the award for Designer of the Year, as well as the Special Jury Prize, at the French Fashion Oscars in 1985, Mugler expected a shoutout.
But Alaïa, who was pathologically shy, had to be pulled up to the stage by Grace Jones and was so flustered, he didn’t make a speech. Mugler was furious, and the two didn’t speak for several years, eventually reconciling in the 1990s.
If Mugler is remembered as a showman, staging some of the most spectacular runway displays in French fashion history, Alaïa favored the intimacy of his headquarters and kept to his own schedule.
In terms of personality, they could not be more different. Style-wise? Two sides of the same coin.
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