Costume Gala Drama

"Its an Alaïa" "An a-What-a?" "An Alaïa! Its like a really important designer!" -Cher (Alicia Silverstone), Cluless

Seven models were to wear outfits by Azzedine Alaïa to tonight’s Costume Institute party to celebrate the opening of the “Model as Muse” exhibit, but Alaia has asked them not to wear the dresses. And some of the models, including Naomi Campbell, have decided not to attend the party because the designer’s work is not in the exhibition. A spokeswoman for Campbell said this afternoon: “As Naomi has been the muse of Azzedine Alaïa for 23 years, she feels she doesn’t want to attend unless she can represent his work.” Dresses were also made for Linda Evangelista and Stephanie Seymour. It’s unknown if they plan to attend the gala. As anyone who follows fashion knows, Alaia has a long and special association with models. At the start of her career, Campbell lived with Alaia, whom she calls Papa, and Seymour and her husband Peter Brant stay with the designer when they’re in Paris. It’s hard to separate their careers—and bodies—from Alaia’s fashion. And they are not the only models associated with Alaïa. There’s Marie-Sophie Wilson, Veronica Webb, Farida Khelfa and Tatjana Patitz. Nonetheless, apart from one photograph, by Gilles Bensimon of Elle, Alaia’s work has no place in the Met’s exhibition. At least in terms of fashion, the 80s is mainly represented by clothing from designers like Versace and Armani, and there’s no elaboration of Alaïa’s relationship with models. Alaïa said in a telephone interview this morning that he was not fully informed by the Met about the subject of the show, nor was he invited to attend the opening. He had made dresses for the models, at their request, but last week, when it became clear to him that his work was not in the exhibition, he asked the models not wear the dresses. “It would have been silly to have seven girls wearing my dresses at the party and not have anything of mine in the exhibit,” he said. He blamed the omission not on the Met’s chief costume curator Harold Koda, but rather on Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue, who organizes the party. “She has too much power over this museum,” he said. (Alaïa has had very little presence in Vogue in the last 15 years.) He also conveyed his displeasure to Marc Jacobs, whose company is sponsoring the event, in a telephone call on Saturday. Reached this morning, Koda said that Wintour has no involvement in Costume Institute shows. He said Alaïa had not been asked to loan garments for this particular exhibit, despite his history with models, because the curators didn’t believe the designer would agree to participate in a group show. Koda added that he hopes to someday have a one-man exhibition of Alaïa’s fashion — provided the Met changes its policy about monographic shows of living designers. At the press preview for the exhibit this morning, Jacobs said, referring to his call from Alaia: “He’s very upset. Azzedine is a great friend of mine. I admire him so much… He’s had a huge influence on the way women are shaped, the way women look. I do think he’s one of the greatest influences. I’m really sad that he’s not part of this exhibition.” *Article Courtesy of New York Times* HOWEVER....Here's Naomi arriving at the after party in Versace, WORKKK!