ALAA / GRS beyond fashion

(Hardback)

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For the first time, ALAA / GRS beyond fashion brings together 60 designs by Madame Grs and Azzedine Alaa.

Determined to a lifetime of seclusion spent entirely in their ateliers, Madame Grs saw herself as a sculptor. Azzedine Alaa studied sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Tunis. This shared passion for sculpture was kept intact through their journey in the fashion system to which they dedicated themselves with such singularity and success. While there is no evidence that the two couturiers ever crossed paths, their creations undoubtedly did. Apostles of a certain form of simplicity, the seemingly simple creations of Grs and Alaa hide an inherent complexity in their cut and design. United by their formal principles, their cutting techniques and the harmonious combinations of fabric and colors they commonly embraced, the clothes by both couturiers invite readers to a lesson beyond fashion.

Author Bio

Madame Grs (1903-1993), whose real name was Germaine Krebs, began working in the 1930s. She founded the house of Grs in 1942, and presented her timeless collections there until 1987. Among her famous clients were Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Maria Casares, Delphine Seyrig, and Grace Kelly.

Azzedine Alaa (1935-2017) was a great collector, having acquired over 15,000 pieces, of the most important masters in the fashion history spanning from the 18th to the 21st. These include 600 dresses by Madame Grs now part of the Foundation of public utility Fondation Azzedine Alaia.