Friday, September 12, 2008

TATI and AZZEDINE ALAIA

At the suggestion of our dear friend Christiane, we have sent our interns into the archives to look up French fashion icon Azzedine Alaia and the chain of french discount stores, aka ""the mosh pit of shopping," called TATI. Curiously, neither has an official website that pops up on the Anglocentric version of google, but we did find a few tidbits which have made us thirsty for more information....

Although we found the above images, we have yet to pinpoint the intricacies of ALAIA's relationship to the buffalo check (no doubt called something different in France) The following biographical information provided by our friend Boyd Davis, Online Editor at www.fashionwindows.com, does start to create a platform for which a love affair with plaid could very well bloom, but the connection remains a mystery. If anyone has any information or photographs regarding TATI, AZZEDINE ALAIA, and our beloved BUFFALO CHECK (or it's French name) please email us at plaidvoyeurismproject@gmail.com

Azzedine Alaia learned about the human form when he was studying sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Tunis. It was not until 1957 when he moved to Paris that he formalized his fashion career when he became an assistant to Guy Laroche. Starting 1960, he was designing and creating custom clothing for a very select clientele and finally in 1982 branched out into ready-wear. A year later, he started selling his designs in New York and in Beverly Hills (1983).
Nicknamed the "King of Cling" Azzedine Alaia practically invented the stretch mini, Lycra cyling shorts and the body suit that became inspiration to high street fashion design.
Azzedine Alaia knows the female body and understand how to display it properly. His clothes are a symbols of the fitness craze that started during the 1980s - trim, slim and fit.
A master cutter and tailor, Azzedine Alaia is also a perfectionist and works directly onto the body to get that perfect fit. He is also a master of draping and can create clothes that almost fit like a second skin.
Although he is not a recluse, his last proper show was in 1996. His atelier is not listed in any fashion house listing in Paris. Azzedine Alaia continue to cater to a very private clientele and still enjoy commercial success on his ready-to-wear line.