Tailoring

L’Association Azzedine Alaïa

| Design & Culture by Ed

The breast sculpture by César, Alaïa’s long-time friend.

L’Association Azzedine Alaïa is all things close to Monsieur Azzedine Alaïa and his two, closest people – Christoph Von Weyhe and Carla Sozzani. La Librairie, the maison’s bookstore within the late couturier’s house on rue de la Verrerie, opened its doors back in November. A café is also located in this silent, chic spot, which used to house a small boutique run by Alaïa’s twin sister Hafida. And in the same hidden square of Le Marais, there’s the gallery that celebrates Azzedine’s creations and visions with temporary exhibitions curated by Olivier Saillard. Until 23rd of June, you can see the brilliant Adrian and Alaïa. The Art of Tailoring curation, which is a pararrel exhibition presenting a dialogue between Azzedine and Gilbert Adrian, the Old Hollywood-era designer held in great esteem by Alaïa. The exhibition highlights the subtle transmission of elegance and style that can happen between two great couturiers even when separated by decades and continents as they both focus on executing the same garments – the construction of the jacket. Seen here through exploration of fabric and form, one can follow the unspoken heritage moving from a master’s eye to the hand of another master as only the best talents can do. Preseted in a pairing of a number of suits over the course of their respective careers, two couturiers share their imaginary conversation in an industrial, former warehouse space. Azzedine collected Adrian’s tailoring that used to be worn by the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford back in the 1940s and 1950s, and studied them with passion. Sharing many sympathies with Adrian in the execution of design, and a shared obsession for perfection, Alaïa would spend nights around the same black jacket. Trained as a sculptor, he became the master of cut and fit. With Mr. Adrian’s contribution.

18 rue de la Verrerie / Paris

Photos by Edward Kanarecki and from the exhibition’s release.

Elongated and Lean. Jil Sander Resort 2020

| Design & Culture by Ed

What Lucie and Luke Meier do at Jil Sander is so, so beautifully balanced and considered. Their resort 2020 look-book is one of their best collections to date, and they prove their comprehension of the brand’s heritage in every aspect, from impeccable tailioring to feminimine-slash-minimalist day-wear. “The silhouette is very elongated, very lean,” one of the designers mentioned to the press. “It follows the body line, but then it breaks with a playful gesture, like tying something around the waist, be it a belt, a sweater, or a leather waist bag. Trying to convey a sense of lightness and movement.” Also, I really love the element of nature that reappears in Meier’s collection season-to-season. Raffia-crocheted skirt and straw basket bags are one way to approach plastic-free, eco-friendly fashion. Tie-dye Shibori techniques, used as decorative elements on over-sized cotton shirtdresses, blouses and skirst, are artisan handworks that need no chemicals in production. Big yes to everything this collection delivers.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Loud. Raf Simons AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

While everybody expected to see something rather melancholic from Raf Simons this season, just a month after his abrupt, yet understandable exit from Calvin Klein, the designer surprised us all with a collection that’s experimental, bold and as loud as Whispering Sons – a Belgian post-punk band that played live during the show. Even Laura Dern screamed in the David Lynch film stills that were scattered all over the garments. Not only drama’s up in Raf’s autumn-winter 2019 collection. Volume as well. But in case of the designer, this doesn’t neccesarily means a bunch of XXL sweatshirts (that I actually no longer can look at this season…). Yes, Simons makes tailoring great again, especially when it comes to coats. Whether in satin, camel or leopard print, the silhouette is nearly floor-sweeping and utterly entrance-making. While the Instagram feed went mad for the blush-pink ensemble, I personally fell in love with the black, woollen number tied with a matching belt. Love seeing Raf doing Raf

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Quite Clean, Really. Givenchy AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Clare Waight Keller nails it lately at Givenchy. Her men’s autumn-winter 2019, presented for the first time separately from women’s, proves that she feels more and more confident in creating a guy’s wardrobe. “I went into my own self, really, back into the ’90s, and how I felt when I was really young, how we’d dress on not a lot of money. At Givenchy we have young Parisians from schools here, and there’s this same perverse poshness, wearing tailoring in a really sharp way, with a shirt or T-shirt,” she said during the intimate presentation that took place in Paris today. “Quite clean, really.” Polished, slim-fit trousers and leather jackets dangerously looked like Hedi Slimane’s Celine, but the other part of the collection – the more elegant – is where you can completely loose your mind for. This tailoring. See the flared trousers, that came in deep red, cerulean blue and dark purple. Waight Keller attributed them to the “softness and fluidity I like for men”. Some looks had a sensually highlighted waist, something that’s having a graceful return to menswear. There was lots of elevated sportwear, but nothing will beat this one, simple look made up of a white shirt, just partially tucked into the waisted suitspants. Less is more is a cliché, I know, but in case of Waight Keller’s Givenchy, it’s just right.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.