Celebrities Pay Tribute to Iconic Fashion Designer Azzedine Alaïa
The fashion world has lost one of its greats. Designer Azzedine Alaïa has died of heart failure in Paris at the age of 77, according to WWD. The Tunisian-born fashion designer was best known for his precise tailoring that fit the women he dressed like a second skin. So if you’ve ever spent a night out feeling amazing in a body-con dress, you have Alaïa to thank for that: The designer earned the nickname “The King of Cling,” turning the body-con dress into an ’80s fashion staple and helping to popularize the styles we still wear today.
His fitted evening dresses celebrated the female body, and celebrities like Naomi Campbell (who was so much a part of his inner circle she called him “Papa”), Madonna, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Obama, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus have all worn his creations. Alaïa was celebrated as a genius couturier, and he was often compared to a sculptor because of the way he could shape fabrics.
And of course, you might remember his name thanks to Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz in Clueless. When Cher was asked to lay down on the dirty pavement while getting robbed in a parking lot, she protested, “You don’t understand, this is an Alaïa. It’s like a totally important designer.”
Alaïa’s prominence as a pioneer of fashion, marching to the beat of his own drum, was well known throughout the industry. He often worked at his own pace, according to Vogue, hosting intimate fashion shows in his Paris headquarters weeks after the official Fashion Week was over. This left an air of mystery surrounding his clothing, making it even more popular.
“If we talk about empowering women today, he did it, and he did it his way,” designer Alber Elbaz told WWD. “When women wear Alaïa, you see the woman and then you see Azzedine.”
After news broke on Saturday morning of his death, celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the late designer.
https://twitter.com/victoriabeckham/status/931895133091586048
https://twitter.com/PatrikSandberg/status/931845285982044161
https://twitter.com/BYoungFountain/status/931893591793836032
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