Bella Hadid reminded followers of the timeless appeal of Azzedine Alaïa’s designs when, in April 2018, she appeared at a press event in a look from one of the designer’s best-known collections. According to Alaïa, his Spring 1991 lineup was inspired by Tati, a high street brand associated with a blown-up houndstooth-print logo which the designer adapted for his exclusive and small batch knits.
Overall this was a hodgepodge of a collection that included snakeskin, sexy denims, and pieces that nodded to the work of Madame Grès and Madeleine Vionnet. The self-taught Alaïa had an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion history, having handled and studied the works of couture masters and adapted their techniques. Alaïa was one of the rare designers who could make a dress from start to finish. Here, a filmy bias-cut gown was slipped on over lingerie-like denim separates, and a goddess gown (like the one Yasmeen Ghauri modeled so alluringly in Vogue’s July 1991 issue) was offered in lengths blushingly short, as well as to the ground.
