It’s rare to find a story of friendship as the binding force behind an exhibition, as is on full display in Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler 1980/1990: Two Decades of Artistic Affinities. Alaïa and Mugler supported each other personally and professionally—and at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, we see their designs in visual conversation with each other on neighbouring displays.
There are plenty of stylistic similarities on view, like their denim garments, including Mugler’s romper from 1979 and Alaïa’s dress from 1985—both accentuating broad shoulders and tapered waists. Rich emerald and bright cobalt are coupled with slate grey in both designers’ collections in 1981 and 1982. There’s a cool factor traversing these pieces and a strength alongside the celebration of the feminine figure. Bold and moody colour palettes consume the otherwise stark white gallery, where garments are predominately black with saturated jewel tones.
While the designs are worth the experience, the exhibition’s centering around the supportive relationship between Azzedine Alaïa and Thierry Mugler is beautiful to witness in the competitive world of fashion. Press releases are on view of Alaïa acknowledging Mugler “as one of the first people to take an interest in [his] work.” The exhibition is curated by Olivier Saillard and on view through August 31 at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation in Paris.
A few arrondissements away, Worth: Inventor of Haute Couture is on view at the Petit Palais through September 7. Fashion lovers can expect curation that prioritizes storytelling as much as Worth’s gowns showcase detail. And details are aplenty.
For fashion students, the legacy of Charles Frederick Worth’s contribution to fashion—and his importance as the creator of couture—will precede their viewing of his pieces in this exhibition. While not a household name, Worth inspired some framework with which fashion is consumed today. He was the first to sign his name inside his garments’ tags. He popularized the bustle, inspiring modern designers like Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and Raf Simons for Christian Dior. Before today’s celebrities commissioned designers for wedding dresses or red carpet gowns, Worth was selected by global royalty to dress them for life’s most important events. And while some designers have many celebrity muses, for Worth, his wife modelled his clothing.
I’d imagine any designer could benefit from taking a walk through the rooms of the Petit Palais and examining Worth’s embroidery or beadwork. His obvious creativity and unabashed glamour are on full display. His celebration of the female form and inspiration from nature are strewn throughout his pieces.
Art critic Jerry Saltz has shared, “All art was made by artists for and in reaction to their time.” Mugler, Alaïa, and Worth all spoke to their present moment—and made sure to leave their signature within their oeuvre. But at present, the obsession with nostalgia across artistic mediums continues. Perhaps the shuffling about of designers through major houses and the dipping of luxury markets are to blame for safety-net collections that feel more reflective of the past than inspired by our present time. Strong attention to detail and inspiration from film, art, or muses seems to be waning. Times do seem unpredictable. But some richer inspiration—perhaps gathered from either of these exhibits—could be a reminder of what we crave to see: camaraderie within a field and devotion to innovating one’s own craft.
Catherine Gerdes is a Brooklyn-based writer and astrologer exploring art, culture and the intersections of cosmic patterns and contemporary life. She is the author of Astrology & Shadow Work, with words in Well + Good, Origin, Elite Daily and Bustle. She is a graduate student at The New School in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism.