Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1546381
© P E T E R L I N D B E R G H (C O U R T E S Y O F FO N DAT I O N A Z Z E D I N E A L A Ï A A N D P E T E R L I N D B E R G H FO U N DAT I O N , PA R I S ) ; © A N D R E A & VA L E N T I N A , C O U R T E S Y O F FO N DAT I O N A Z Z E D I N E A L A Ï A ; A N D R E W D U R H A M , F R O M M A K I N G M A R I E A N TO I N E T T E ( I M P O R TA N T F LO W E R S , 2 0 2 6) , C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A R T I S T A N D M AC K ; P H OTO BY B R I G I T T E L AC O M B E ALAÏA ARRIVES AT THE LEGION OF HONOR Not every fashion designer is an artist. Azzedine Alaïa was. For evidence, one need look no further than the late visionary's first US retrospective at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, opening November 21. Who but a Tunisian- born, Parisian-based designer would need the context of an encyclopedic art collection like that of the Legion of Honor to tell the story of a contemporary clothing brand? Anticipate unexplored connections between Alaïa's pioneering body-conscious silhouettes and decades of excellence in figuration, thanks to the museum's expansive Auguste Rodin holdings. Rodin famously built his sculptures using hidden armatures to hide his rough-and-ready wet-draping folds, where Alaïa resorted to exposed seams and zippers so you could see the handiwork of a garment designed to disappear into the body it adorned. It will be gratifying to witness these two approaches to draping play out in room after glorious room. —K.H. MARIE ANTOINETTE TURNS 20 Just over two decades after Marie Antoinette was executed in 1793 as "Madame Déficit," her legend was rehabilitated and recast as the glamorous martyr of a fallen monarchy, actively promoted by her brother-in-law Louis XVIII. May we all be so blessed. Since then, the myth of France's most lavish queen has only grown more fanciful, sequined by centuries of admirers, from 19th-century royalty-loving romantics to Great Depression–era dreamers. This fall sees the return of Marie Antoinette's story to the center of pop culture, amplified by a much more contemporary piece of Antoinette fan fiction: Sofia Coppola's iconic biopic from 2006, starring Kirsten Dunst. Restored and returning to theaters in October, Coppola's generation- defining film reveals its creation via "Making Marie Antoinette," from the director's own imprint, Important Flowers, featuring a collection of behind-the-scenes images captured by Coppola confidante Andrew Durham, who documented the film's production during its unprecedented access to the Palace of Versailles. The celebrations continue at Versailles, where an exhibition curated by Coppola and devoted to the movie's influence will occupy the Petit Trianon, from September 22 through January 24. —K.H. FROM TOP Sofia Coppola in "Making Marie Antoinette," by photographer Andrew Durham; shooting the iconic biopic, starring Kirsten Dunst, at Versailles in 2006 Azzedine Alaïa and Tina Turner in a custom look by the designer, photographed by Peter Lindbergh for Italian Vogue, 1990 207 207