Une Autre Pensée Sur la Mode

Image courtesy of: Association Azzedine Alaïa

(Illustration by Thierry Perez)

“With TATI I learned many things, another way to look at fashion” ~ Azzedine Alaïa

Image courtesy of: Vogue Paris

(Illustration by Thierry Perez)

Decades before it became prevalent (or even fashionable) for internationally-renowned couturiers (or celebrities) and mega-brands to partner with fast-fashion retailers such as H&M, Uniqlo, Puma or Adidas on limited-edition capsule collections, Azzedine Alaïa, the Tunisian-born and Paris-based couturier, presented a seminal collection for Spring-Summer 1991, based primarily on his collaboration with the Paris discount retailer TATI and its trademark pink-on-white gingham check pattern for decades, a magnet for bargain shoppers. 

But how did this collaboration (now known as ‘The TATI Collection’)—a prototype believed to have been the first of its kind and which has since become a common marketing tool—come about between Alaïa and the TATI department store (founded in post-war Paris, in 1948, with its enduring slogan, “TATI, le plus bas prix”)? And why would a world-acclaimed designer of Alaïa's calibre associate his name with a mass-market, low-budget clothing retail franchise? For one thing, Julian Schnabel, the artist and very close friend of Alaïa's, was the first to use the TATI canvas to paint on (“It happened,” Alaïa has said, “thanks to my friend Julian Schnabel, he wanted to make paintings with the vichy check fabric that was in fact the signature emblem of TATI”) and, early on in their friendship, Schnabel suggested to Alaïa that they ought to swap works: Alaïa would exchange dresses for Schnabel's works of art—a bartering of works that inspired both designer and artist alike. (When his first wife, Jacqueline Beaurang, opened an Alaïa boutique in New York's SoHo district, at 131 Mercer Street, in 1988, Schnabel had designed the interior of as well as the fixtures for the store; following their divorce and its closure in 1992, however, Schnabel retrieved the fixtures and are currently to be found in the Alaïa boutique in Paris.)
(Quote: Association Azzedine Alaïa, Press Release, Another Way To Look At Fashion: The TATI Collection)

The Kiss (TATI) by Julian Schnabel ~ 1989

Image courtesy of: CR Fashion Book

“I thought the pattern was particularly recognizable as something Parisian and it was from certain popular neighborhoods where street life was alive and buoyant” ~ Julian Schnabel

Matra Nudem (TATI) by Julian Schnabel ~ 1989

Image courtesy of: Phillips

For another, the TATI gingham print (and its large blue logo) is ubiquitous, seen on its shopping bags in the hands of local Parisian bargain shoppers as well as travelers in and out of Paris. On his frequent trips to Tunisia, for instance, Alaïa would often “see travelers at Paris’ Orly airport with huge TATI bags, full to the brim. I wanted to design something of good quality for this clientele, who until now could not afford my clothes.” (Quote: Association Azzedine Alaïa, Press Release, Another Way To Look At Fashion: The TATI Collection) Realizing that the print and canvas would just as easily lend themselves to textiles and apparel, Alaïa took the initiative of contacting TATI with a proposition for a collaboration; TATI accepted, with the proviso that he design pieces exclusively for the company. It was at this point that, as (Paris) Vogue contributor Claire Beghin points out, that “luxury high fashion and high street collaborations were born. Its success was a pillar stone in the democratization of fashion.” (Quote: Beghin, C., Vogue Paris, July 8, 2019)

Image courtesy of: Pikdo

(Illustration by Thierry Perez)

“What excited me was to attach my name, and the world of haute couture, with this brand that represented bargain clothing and bargain prices.” ~ Azzedine Alaïa

Both images above are courtesy of: Vogue Paris

(Illustrations by Thierry Perez)

The outcome of the TATI collaboration was Alaïa's Spring-Summer 1991 collection, with the TATI gingham—which made up at least half of the collection and which came in both reduced as well as magnified sizes—being the pivotal theme. Alaïa freely utilized and applied the TATI gingham (aside from its characteristic pink-and-white pattern, Alaïa introduced variations in black, navy-blue as well as red-on-white versions of the print) to assorted and all-inclusive separates: T-shirts, skirts (both long and short), slacks and shorts, long and short jackets, coats, bra-tops, dresses, bodysuits, and all of which were accessorized with matching gloves, taxi driver caps, belts, bags, espadrilles and sunglasses. (Incidentally, during his conversations and negotiations with TATI for the use of its gingham, Alaïa discovered that the founder of TATI—Jules Ouaki, a Sephardic jeweler from the La Goulette district of Tunis—was, like himself, Tunisian.)

Image courtesy of: Rich'Art

(Illustrations by Thierry Perez)

Nor did Alaïa confine the TATI gingham solely to cotton canvas/denim fabrics but, having been the peerless master of knits on which he had built his distinguished career (and his reputation as the ‘King of Cling’), had it woven into knits, as well, to allow for stretch—and to achieve the famed Alaïa ‘cling’. (Additionally, Alaïa designed canvas shopping tote bags specifically for TATI with ‘Alaïa Pour TATI’ printed on their front panels; these bags, along with the espadrilles and T-shirts, were made available and sold at TATI stores.) Moreover, it ought to be noted that Alaïa donated the income from the sales to a humanitarian cause.

 Image courtesy of: Vogue Paris

(Illustration by Thierry Perez)

There have been, in the past few years, several retrospective exhibitions devoted to the late Alaïa's work and legacy (which have always concentrated on the mastering of his craft rather than focusing on passing fads or fashion trends), who passed away unexpectedly in November of 2017, both during the couturier's lifetime and since his demise. Some have been staged in Paris, at Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, while others were presented in other cities, such as London, Dusseldorf, Milan, Rome, New York, Groningen, Seoul and elsewhere.


Since its inception, creation and presentation nearly thirty yeas ago, ‘The TATI Collection’ has grown in stature: it has not only become iconic but highly collectible; so much so, that an exhibition devoted entirely to it was recently on show. Curated by long-time Alaïa-associate/collaborator and fashion historian Olivier Saillard and held at Galerie Azzedine Alaïa (18 rue de la Verrerie, 75004, Paris), Another Way to Look at Fashion: The TATI Collection was recently on display from July 1st, 2019, till its closing on January 5th, 2020. (There are currently two exhibitions on view; these include: Azzedine Alaïa Collector: Alaïa and Balenciaga Sculptors of Shape, January 20th to June 28th, 2020, at Galerie Azzedine Alaïa and, in what is termed to be Alaïa's first posthumous U.S. exhibition, Alaïa-Adrain: Masters of Cut, presently in Atlanta at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion, from February 11th till September 13th, 2020, likewise curated by Olivier Saillard. Alaïa, who collected art as well as apparel and costumes of past eras, was also a collector of the works of Gilbert Adrian, the Hollywood costumer for MGM, alongside those of the great couturiers Madame Vionnet, Madame Grès, Charles James, and Balenciaga.)

(Sources: Collins, A. F., All Eyes on Alaïa, Vanity Fair, August 23, 2012; Association Azzedine Alaïa, Press Release, Another Way To Look At Fashion: The TATI Collection; Wynne, A., Exhibition  on Azzedine Alaïa's Tait Collection Debuts in Paris, WWD, June 30, 2019; Beghin, C., Vogue Paris, July 8, 2019; Robinson, R., CR Fashion Book, July 5, 2019)

Christy Turlington photographed by Patrick Demarchelier ~ 1991

Image courtesy of: Maison Alaïa

Naomi Campbell photographed in Los Angeles by Ellen von Unwerth ~ 1991

Both images above are courtesy of: Vogue Paris

Yasmeen Ghauri photographed by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue (Italia) ~ 1991

Image courtesy of: Pinterest

“There is a message in this collaboration. He could make anything he wanted out of any textile. If he had no fabric, he could take the tablecloth and make a beautiful dress” 

~ Olivier Saillard

Image courtesy of: Madame Figaro

(Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard)

Image courtesy of: Paris Diary by Laure

 

The above left image is courtesy of:  Paris Par Amour | The above right image is courtesy of: Maison Alaïa  

Image courtesy of: Rich'Art

The above four images are courtesy of: Marion de Castilla

The Prolific Art, Illustrations & Designs of Erté

Erté Romain de Tirtoff

(1892-1990)

Erté in 1924

Image courtesy of: http://madamepickwickartblog.com/

“A resourceful woman who is plain, can achieve the reputation of a beauty simply by announcing to everybody she meets, that she is one.” 

His father ranked as an admiral in the Russian Imperial Naval School; his mother was descended from Cossacks - Romain de Tirtoff - later to change his name to the French-sounding  Erté - came from an aristocratic, musical family loyal in its long history of service of the Tsars of Russia since the days of Peter the Great.

Romain was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 23, 1892. It is said that as a child, the precocious five year-old, aided by the family's resident dressmaker, was already designing clothes for his mother. In his father's library, the boy found a book on Persian and Indian miniatures which delighted and decided the young Romain to become a painter. His mother, in turn, nurtured his love and appreciation of refinement, design, and things European by taking the young Romain abroad on summer tours of European cities while his father was away on Naval maneuvers.
(Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010; Blake, P., time.com, 1982) 

 

The Golden Pearls

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In the heady days before World War I and the ensuing Russian Revolution that followed, St. Petersburg was the fashionable and cultural centre of artistic activity: music, ballet, theatre, and fashion (the Tirtoffs had a permanent box at the Maryinski Theatre where the young Romain saw Sergei Diaghilev's famed Ballet Russes perform) all thrived in Russia's capital on the banks of the Neva River. Along St. Petersburg's main avenue, Nevsky Prospekt, he would accompany his mother on shopping expeditions to fashionable shops where he was captivated by the artistry and skill of Russian couturiers. (Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010) 

Having always been an admirer of the French capital, Romain journeyed there to make his home in Paris at the age of nineteen in February 1912. In those days, Paris was in the thrall of the Ballet Russes - the French had never seen anything quite like the Russian ballet company or Nijinsky, for that matter, before. It was in Paris, in 1913, that Romain witnessed Nijinsky's controversial dance in L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune and Igor Stravinsky's composition, Sacre du Printemps. Not only ballet flourished in Paris at that time: Picasso and Braque were recreating (and reconfiguring) contemporary art with their invention of Cubism; Futurism, Surrealism and Dadaism, were among the other art forms also burgeoning or about to be introduced in Paris and to Parisians. (Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010) 

 

 

Starstruck
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The Firebird

Image courtesy of: http://madamepickwickartblog.com/

In 1913, Romain  (after having been let go from a previous draughtsman job at a fashion house) landed an 18-month contract position at the most prestigious fashion house - with the first marketed designer perfume - and with the most acclaimed fashion designer working in Paris at that time: Paul Poiret. It was Poiret who instigated Romian's pseudonym, Erté, by adapting the French pronunciation of Romain's initials, R. T. (pronounced air tay). Poiret was savvy enough to employ, and collaborate with, the artists of his day to create fabric prints; he also recognised Erté's natural artistic gifts. In spite of all that, their collaboration ended acrimoniously with a lawsuit. (Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010)

Queen of the Night

Image courtesy of: http://inspireddays.blogspot.com/

 

With the arrival of World War I and the ensuing political upheaval, Erté departed for Monte Carlo, where he spent the years between 1914 to 1923. A distant cousin of Erté's, Prince Nicholas Ourousoff, came to live with him in Monte Carlo. Ourousoff became his business manager and it was he who, shortly thereafter, first suggested to Erté that he approach the American fashion magazine, Harper's Bazaar, in New York. Erté's association with Harper's was to last from January 1915 to December 1936, and encompassed over 2,500 sketches, drawings and designs, including 240 covers. The association only broke after the owner, Randolph Hearst, lost control and possession of the magazine in 1937. The new editor made the decision to switch from using fashion illustration to the new mania, photography, thus signalling the decline of fashion illustration as an art form. But during his 20-year regime at Harper's, Erté gained an international reputation as the world's leading fashion illustrator. (Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010) 

Fireflies - (Silkscreen print) ~ 1980

Image courtesy of: http://www.polizzifineart.com/

 

 

Of fashion, Erté has said, "Clothes are a kind of alchemy... Every human being has a duty to make himself as attractive as possible." After his time as a magazine fashion illustrator had come to an end, Erté turned his attention to  a metier he had tried his hand at in the past: the theatre. (Cited from: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010)

The world of the theatre - which had always held a special fascination for him - was not new to Erté. During his time at Poiret, he had experimented with costume design for none other than the Dutch exotic dancer - and the executed World War I spy - Mata Hari. It was not Erté's first experience with the theatre either. In 1917, he had  been hired by Madame Rasimi to devise costumes for a revue starring Mistinguette and Maurice Chevalier, L'Orient Mervielleux, where Erté designed the first of his fabulous plumed headdresses for Mistinguette (which became one of her hallmarks). In addition to his other work during the same time, Erté worked with Max Weldy at the Folies-Bergére from 1919-1930, gaining experience in working within the traditions of theatrical costume design, stage-lighting, and machinery. According to the art historian, Charles Spencer, Erté's desings for the Folies-Bergére were among his finest work. From the Folies-Bergére, Erté took his costume and set design talents elsewhere - the Ziegfeld Follies, George White Scandals [with music set by George Gershwin] and Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue on Broadway. Additionally, in the 1920s through his connections with Randolph Hearst, Erté also worked in Hollywood where he worked on The Restless Sex (1919) under contract with Hearst's Cosmopolitan Films. (Source: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010) 

 

 

Image courtesy of: http://threadforthought.net/

Tuxedo

Image courtesy of: http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/

 

 

But either Hollywood did not suit Erté, or Erté did not suit Hollywood. At any rate, between 1925 and 1926, Erté began a collaboration with the French magazine, Art et Industrie, to design industrial products. He designed such household items as lamps, furniture as well as domestic interiors. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Erté focused his talents to working within the theatre limits of London and Paris. His designs were employed in musicals, operas, and ballets (in 1947 he even designed costumes for Francis Poulenc's Les Mamelles des Tirésias at the Opéra-Comique in Paris). In the coming decades of the 1950s and 1960s, Erté could still be found designing for such productions as, La Plume de Ma Tante at the Garrick Theatre in London (1958-59), starring Zizi Jéanmarie,  to productions at New York's Latin Quarter (1964-65), and numerous other shows around the globe. During the height of his career, he also created costumes for such notable women and stars of the stage as Anna Pavlova, Josephine Baker and Mrs. Randolph Hearst.

(Sources: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010; Blake, P., time.com, 1982 )  

 

 

 

(Above right: Melisande & Golaud)

 The above seven images are courtesy of: http://maryt.wordpress.com/

 

 

But the biggest change to occur in Erté's career happened in 1965. At the age of 73, he met the founders of Seven Arts Ltd., Eric and Salomé Estorick, who persuaded him to unearth his perfectly preserved designs - hitherto kept hidden in trunks in his cellar - which caused a sensation at that time, both in Europe and in the United Sates, resulting in a renewed interest in (and, to some extent, revival of) the Art Deco period which lasted from the 1960s right through into the 1980s. Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor-in-chief at Vogue in the 1960s, declared that no one in the 20th century had a more profound influence on fashion than did Erté. For the Estoricks and beginning in 1974, Erté produced lithographs and serigraphs of his original works for various gallery exhibitions [Note: although examples are not included in this posting, a number of Erté's designs and sketches were successfully made into sculptures, which have also been exhibited]. In the twilight years of his life, a number of retrospective exhibitions were staged to honour his life's work.  

(Sources: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010; Blake, P., time.com, 1982) 

 

 

The above four images are courtesy of: http://my.opera.com/

 

 

In his 70s and 80s, when most people have long retired from their professional careers, the still-svelte Erté was actively working. In the past, he referred to his work as, "...my mother, my wife, my friend, my mistress and my children..." For his prolific contributions to the world of decorative arts, he has been acknowledged as the "Father of Art Deco."

(Cited from: biography.yourdictionary.com, 2010) 

Since 1935, Erté had occupied an apartment in the fashionable Bois de Boulogne district of Paris with a successive series of pet cats for company. A prodigiously hardworking individual, for close to seventy years, he would spend nearly every night at his desk, working under a single spotlight, sketching and painting with the music of Beethoven or Schubert playing. (Source: Blake, P., time.com, 1982)

Erté had been vacationing on the island of Mauritius, off the southeast coast of Africa, when he fell ill. He was flown home, to Paris, where he passed away at the age of 97 on April 21st, 1990.

 

 

(Above right: Wings of Victory)

Above two images are courtesy of: http://community.brandrepublic.com/

 

Above left: French Rooster - ca. 1982 | Above right: Blossom Umbrella

Danse Laurage

The three images above are courtesy of: http://www.ogallerie.com/

Head of Pierre Imans - Folies Bergère ~ 1927

Scandals of 1926 ~ Carrot costume for the Vegetable Ballet

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Purity

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Spring Showers ~ 1984

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Seagulls

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Image courtesy of: http://www.thecultureconcept.com/

Twilight ~ 1987

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Angel Melody

The Egyptian

Above left: Fedora Butterflies | Above right: Fedora Fan

Above left: May | Above right: June

Balinese

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(Above right: The Flowered Cape)

Symphony In Black

The above four images are courtesy of: http://freelancersfashion.blogspot.com/

 

Symphony in White

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Pink Lady ~ ca. 1980
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Costume design for Beatrice Mannequin

Images courtesy of: http://www.askart.com/

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The four images below are courtesy of: http://chateauthombeau.blogspot.com/

The Nile

The Angel

Salomé

Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah

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The above three images are courtesy of: http://www.beingperfectishard.com/

Autumn ~ 1982

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Above left: Winter | Above right: The Coming of Spring

Bride

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The Swing

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Adam & Eve

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Above left: Furs | Above right: Oriental Tale

Printemps

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The Bubbles

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The above seven images are courtesy of: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/

Above left: Compact Vanities | Above right: Coquette

Above left: Bath of the Marquise | Above right: Flames of Love

 

Summer Breeze

 

Above right: Fall | Above right: Winter

Above left: After the Rain | Above right: Riviera

Above left: Heat | Above right: Le Rideau de L'Hiver

La Toilette

Above left: La Merveilleuse | Above right: The Chaste Susanna

Above left: Hera | Above right: Zeus

Above left: Lovers & Idol | Above right: Slave

Above left: Splendeur | Above right: Paresseuse

The Suitors

Above left: Michelle | Above right: Muff

Mystère

Above left: Mystique | Above right: Cloudy Morning

Ready for the Ball

Rain

The End of Romance

Above left: Fantasia | Above right: Rendezvous

Above left: Reflections | Above right: Black Rose

Broadway's in Fashion

The Scheherazade Suite:

Pearl of the Orient

Harem

Above left: Beauty of Baghdad | Above right: Arabian Dancer

The Four Emotions Suite:

Above left: L'Amour | Above right: La Tristesse

Above left: L'Indifference | Above right: La Jalousie

The Aces Suite:

Above left: Club | Above right: Spade

Above left: Diamond | Above right: Heart

The Seven Deadly Sins Suite:

Above left: Anger | Above right: Avarice

Above left: Envy | Above right: Gluttony

Above left: Lust | Above right: Pride

Sloth

The Twenties Remembered Suite:

Amoureuse

Above left: Autumn Song | Above right: Beauty and the Beast

The Curtain

Above left: Dream Voyage | Above right: Légèreté

First Dress

Above left: Les Jolies Dames | Above right: Make-Up

Above left: Rainbow in Blossom | Above right: Selection of a Heart

Above left: Earth's Dream | Above right: Fish Bowl

The Zodiac Suite:

Above left: Aquarius | Above right: Aries

Above left: Cancer | Above right: Capricorn

Above left: Gemini | Above right: Leo

Above left: Libra | Above right: Scorpio

Above left: Pisces | Above right: Sagittarius

Above left: Taurus | Above right: Virgo

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The two images above are courtesy of: http://swellegant-elegant.blogspot.com/

Salon

Aladdin

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Kiss of Fire

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The above three images are courtesy of: http://chateauthombeau.blogspot.com/

Above left: Love's Captive ~ 1982 | Above right: Stranded ~ 1983

The above two images are courtesy of: http://www.fashionverbatim.net/ 

Above left: Red Sea | Above right: Indochina

The two images above are courtesy of: http://abiart.com/

Adoration

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(Above right: Applause)

 

The five images above are courtesy of: http://gayarttreasures.blogspot.com/

 

Image courtesy of: http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/

Suggested readings:

Erté's Theatrical Costumes in Full Color (1979), by Erté: Courier Dover Publications

Erté's Costumes & Sets for Der RosenKavalier in Full Color (1980), by Erté: Dover Publications

Erté's Fashion Designs: 218 Illustrations from Harper's Bazaar, 1918-1932 (1981), by Erté: Courier Dover Publications

New Erté Graphics in Full Color (1984), by Erté: Dover Publications

Erté (1995), by Jean Tibbetts: Bison Books