“Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection” exhibition Paris: 101 looks that even Dior no longer has

We just saw an exhibition in Paris that really blew fashion fans away: Azzedine Alaïa meets Christian Dior. Two designers who look completely different – and yet fit together perfectly. Are you in Paris? On vacation, on a short trip or nearby: For anyone in the modeling business, the exhibition is more than just beautiful dresses. For us, one thing is clear: this exhibition is one of the most exciting fashion experiences of the year!

The exhibition: Fashion moments from Dior & Alaïa

The show takes place in the Galerie Dior – an impressive fashion museum in Paris. Instead of a boring timeline, you get rooms that look like small movie sets. Each room shows looks from different eras and explains why they are so special.

What I found most interesting? Here you can see Dior pieces that even the Dior archive no longer has! Alaïa’s collection (more on him later) is breathtaking (20,000 pieces in total).

101 iconic looks

On display are 101 outfits from the history of Dior. Not only from Christian Dior himself, but also from designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Ferré, Galliano and Chiuri. This allows you to see how Dior has changed over the decades – but still remains Dior.

• 101 looks from different decades
• From romantic to extremely modern
• Dresses that are pure couture dreams

Details that you would otherwise never see

What’s particularly exciting is that you not only see the outfits, but also original sketches, fabric samples, old photos and information about each dress – even which model wore it first. This is the closest you can get to fashion history.

• Sketches by Dior and his team
• Original fabric samples
• Information directly from the Dior archive

The exhibition shows that couture is not just beautiful, but real craftsmanship with a lot of history. Click here to go to Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection.

Dior CollectionAddress and prices

Here are the entrance fees and the address of the Dior Collection.

• Full price: 16 € (27+ years)
• Reduced price: 12 € (10-26 years)
• Free admission: 0 € (under 10 years)

In the:

La Galerie Dior
11, rue François-Ier, Paris

Dannasanyla: The largest private fashion collection

The pieces on display come from a collection called Dannasanyla – and it’s huge. It is the largest private couture collection in the world, the Fondation Azzedine AlaiÌa. And that’s not a marketing slogan, it’s a reality.

Thousands of pieces – and 700 Dior outfits

There are over 20,000 fashion pieces in the collection. Yes, really 20,000, including thousands of Dior designs. Around 700 of them no longer even exist in the Dior atelier. Only this collection still has them.

• Over 20,000 fashion pieces
• Huge Dior collection
• Many designs unique worldwide

Alaïa’s passion for fashion history

Azzedine Alaïa has been collecting since the 1960s. He went to auctions and bought everything that was important – often faster than museums. As a result, many couture pieces only exist today because of him.

• Built up since the 60s
• Many museum pieces saved by him
• A collection that preserves fashion history

This gives the exhibition an incredible depth: it not only shows fashion, but also preserved culture.

Azzedine Alaïa: The designer with the power silhouettes

Alaïa was famous for dresses that strongly emphasize the body – tight, elegant, powerful. His looks were made iconic by supermodels like Naomi Campbell. But before he became famous, he actually worked briefly at Dior – for a few days.

From internship to fashion legend

This mini-internship was the beginning. He later became one of the most influential designers in the world. His fashion is just as modern today as it was back then.

• Strong focus on figure and shape
• Famous for tight, powerful silhouettes
• Briefly launched at Dior

This is how he changed fashion:

Alaïa as a collector

In addition to designing, he collected couture like a treasure hunter. When other houses sold their archives, he secured the most important pieces – and saved fashion history in the process.

• Unique collector’s items
• Often buys entire collections
• Today at the Fondation Alaïa

You can feel this passion in every corner of the exhibition.

Christian Dior: The designer who changed fashion

Christian Dior is a household name – but why? Because he invented the famous New Look in 1947: tight waist, round skirt, elegant lines. A style that completely changed the post-war era. A true fashion icon.

New Look: The moment that made Dior immortal

The New Look is shown several times in the exhibition – and you immediately understand why Dior became so iconic. Its silhouettes are romantic, elegant and simply timeless.

• Narrow waist
• Wide skirts
• Ultra-feminine fashion

Dior through the decades

After Dior came designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Bohan, Ferré, Galliano and Chiuri. Each brought their own look, but at the same time the Dior DNA always remained recognizable.

• YSL: youthful & bold
• Galliano: dramatic & artistic
• Chiuri: modern & feminine

The exhibition shows this development like a visual storybook.