Olivier Saillard – författare

The visual dialogue between two maitre couturiers featuring the best creations of Azzedine Alaia and Christian Dior It was in Tunisia, when he was still a teenager, that the young Alaïa first discovered the creations of Christian Dior through fashion magazines made available to him by Madame Pinault. In 1956, on his arrival in Paris, he undertook a brief four-day internship with the great couturier, whom he had always admired. During this time, he immersed himself in the unique atmosphere of a fashion house, observed the work of the head of the atelier, and witnessed the creation of a collection... This seminal experience would be spoken of with emotion for many years to come.The book Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior: Two Masters of Couture offers a dialogue between Azzedine Alaïa's models and those that the couturier patiently collected from Christian Dior. It highlights concepts of style and creation that, despite being separated by several decades, respond to, unite or confront each other, bearing witness to a shared sensibility over time.

Alaia was not only a renowned couturier but also a passionate fashion historian and an insatiable collector, an interest he cultivated since the 1960s. He gathered over 20,000 garments in his life, from the birth of haute couture to pieces by contemporaries he admired. This book showcases for the first time the priceless personal collection of Dior designs that Alaia assembled over decades pieces by Christian Dior as well as the artistic directors that followed him at the helm of the House. The collection is analyzed through thematic chapters, dedicated to the elements that awaked the curiosity of Alaia s collector genius: the construction of the dresses their architecture ; the poetry of the names of creations such as Belle de mai, Jolie c ur, Rose pompom, Bal de printemps, Fete a Grenade, Soiree a Bangkok, Mystere de New York, Soiree tenebreuse, Angelique, Opera bouffe, Musique de nuit, Illusioniste, Aventure, Embuscade, Coquette, or Caprice; the enchanting multitude of the color tones and textures of the fabrics and materials. Illustrated by beautiful photographs of the dresses, historical archival images, drawings by Christian Dior, and collection charts detailing fabrics samples and sketches, this book offers a fresh view of Dior s history and will appeal to fashion lovers everywhere.

A stunning showcase of Azzedine Alaïa’s remarkable fashion collection, most published here for the first time. Azzedine Alaïa (1935–2017) was not only a world renowned fashion designer but also an avid collector of vintage fashion. Based on a major exhibition at the Palais Galliera, Paris, the book showcases the extensive collection he built up over the decades, driven by his fascination with the history of couture and his desire to conserve its heritage for future generations. Accumulated in the utmost secrecy and never revealed during his lifetime, the sumptuous selection of garments ranges from the 19th-century elegance of Jacques Doucet and the House of Worth to the names that shaped 20th-century fashion – Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Schiaparelli – and on to contemporary innovators such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. Captured in specially taken photographs, these meticulously crafted pieces are a tribute to Alaïa’s unerring tastes, to the couturiers who inspired and influenced him, and to his endless respect for the craftspeople that created such objects of lasting beauty.

Originally published to accompany the recent, hugely successful exhibition at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, which Christian Lacroix styled and co-curated, this book draws on the Museum’s staggering archives to tell the story of fashion from the 18th century to the present day, as seen through Lacroix’s inimitable eye. It also juxtaposes the collections with the most significant designs from Lacroix’s own career, bringing to light the fundamental stylistic and formal principles that make up the history of fashion.

Renowned for her signature draping and innovative asymmetrical dresses, Madame Gres (1903 1993) has been one of the leading fashion designers of twentieth-century Paris. Formally trained as a sculptress, her complex yet delicate haute couture designs evoke ancient statuary and exude a timeless elegance. Known as a designer s designer, Madame Gres s prime was between the 1930s and 1950s, but she also saw a comeback in the 1970s, with Yves Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake advocating for her work. A pioneer of sophisticated minimalism and of the attention and respect for the female body, her personality has had a lasting effect on haute couture. Her creations have inspired many of fashion s most illustrious designers including Cristobal Balenciaga, Azzedine Alaia, Yohji Yamamoto, and Haider Ackermann, and 1990s pioneers of contemporary minimalism Calvin Klein and Jil Sander. Her legacy continues to inspire new generations to design clothes that enhance the movement of the body without compromises. In this book, readers discover the couture work of Madame Gres, that was beloved by an array of fashionable women including Marlene Dietrich, Princess Grace of Monaco, Jackie Kennedy, the Duchess of Windsor, and Edith Piaf. Edited by celebrated fashion historian Olivier Saillard, this volume notably features stunning shots of Madame Gres dresses displayed as works of art in the exclusive settings of the Bourdelle Museum and the SCAD FASH Museum in Atlanta.

Embodying Pasolini documents the extraordinary performance curated by Olivier Saillard and poetically brought to life by Tilda Swinton. Serving as part fashion object and part catalogue, this publication is the sole record of Swinton's critically acclaimed sold-out performance-that was by its very nature an ephemeral artwork-but also serves as a survey of the impressive costumes designed by Danilo Donati for Pier Paolo Pasolini's films. From movies including The Gospel According to Matthew, The Hawks and the Sparrows, Oedipus Rex, Porcile, The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and Arabian Nights to Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, their costumes-garments, coats, and hats-retrace Pasolini's entire cinematography, which continues to fascinate audiences almost half a century after the director's passing. The camera of German photographer Ruediger Glatz takes readers both on stage and behind the scenes of the performance, and directs their gaze to details and close-ups, intensifying the beauty and mystery of the moment. Written by Swinton and Saillard, the texts offer an exclusive perspective into the creation and realization of the performance. A passionate ode to cinematic costume design and fashion, Embodying Pasolini elevates couture to a veritable art form.

On January 21, 1971, couturier Yves Saint Laurent presented his Spring-Summer haute couture collection. Inspired by the garments of the war years, the collection included short dresses, platform shoes, square shoulders, and exaggerated makeup. The show caused an outrage among the public, the critics, and the press alike, earning it the title of “Paris’s ugliest collection.” Nevertheless, the haute couture designs of the runway made their way to the boulevards, giving full sway to the “retro” trend that quickly conquered the streets.  Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal Collection, 1971 offers a behind-the-scenes look at the influential collection that “drew fire in the fashion world”—from the collection’s inspiration to the press coverage that followed. Beautifully illustrated and documented with well-researched essays, this book is enriched with personal interviews and archival photographs of the show, the models, the designs, and the textile and print samples, as well as sketches and international press clippings.