I'd Give You My Purse But I Won't Ruin My Alaia

I'm not going to lie, the first time I heard of Alaia was when Cher was held up in a parking lot and the guy asked her to kneel down so he can make his escape.  The fear wasn't in having just lost her purse or getting held up at gunpoint, but in getting the Alaia dress dirty.  Yes, I'm referring to the cult classic movie "Clueless" which many of you have seen a million times.  I remember watching this movie with my sister on VHS tape (yes, those did exist!) back to back on numerous occasions. 

Azzedine Alaia was born in Tunisia then moved to Paris after graduation.  He worked for Christian Dior then Guy Laroche.  In the 70s he opened his atelier where he dressed the world's IT women privately.  In the mid-90s, he became reclusive after the death of his twin sister; then entered a partnership in 2000 with the Prada group; but successfully bought back his house and brand name from Prada in 2007.  To this day, he continues to focus on clothes and only holds fashion shows when he has something to show.  For 2011, he showed his fall collection to a select group of editors about a week after Paris fashion week.  He stays true to his ideals and passion for design - truly an inspiration to all.

Photos courtesy of fashionista.com; blogue.us; kci.or.jp; theblayreport.com; onthisdayinfashion.com;hauteworld.blogspot.com.