This day was the BEST day on my trip....The King of Cling, Azzedine Alaia and I had...
interaction!
Yes, believe it or not, we spoke and he helped me fit into this beautiful strapless corset dress. This is how it all went down the moment I entered the store (beware, it is a detailed story!)
I rung the doorbell to the Alaia store and once the SA buzzed me in, I felt like a kind in a candy store, literally. The boutique was organized by color and was spaced out - just how I like it. I went down each row to find the goodies and found a few dresses, skirts and tops I wanted to try on. When I was done browsing, the SA led me to this single open floor dressing room with mirror on all 4 walls (from what I remembered).
There was one person in the room with me and she was so gorgeous. She was tall and lean with long, dark, thick hair which reminded me of a mix between Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and stylist, Barbara Martelo. Anyway, we both started to converse and she told me her mother was a friend of Alaia's and that she was there to get fitted for her wedding dress. It would be her first time seeing it so she was very nervous. I gasped and told her it must be exciting for her and there is no doubt that it would be BEAUTIFUL!
After conversing for another 10 minutes on random things, there he was..the man...Azzedine Alaia entered the room with the girl's mother! I couldn't breathe and was so nervous. He said "bonjour" to me and I replied back. O.M.G. we exchanged pleasantries!! He carried in the girl's wedding dress and it was absolutely f*ckin drop dead gorgeous! Well, I had to go about my business and tried on my clothes...I didn't want to look like a stalker evn though I was keeping a close watch out the corner of my eye!
The first dress I tried on was this black, full skirted dress that hits mid thigh. It was very short and it was shorter on the back but I loved it. As I was checking myself out in the mirror, I glanced at Mr. Alaia who was in front of me and as we made eye contact, he said the length was perfect and the SA agreed since I am so petite. OMFG, I was smiling from ear to ear as I went to show Linh - he loved the dress on me. I told him what went down b/t me and the man, but he didn't quite understand what the big fuss was (hello?!?!?)
Next, I then tried on the strapless dress with a built-in corset. It was long hitting my middle calf. Mr. Alaia spoke to the SA in French and moved his finger up and down pointing at me...I was confused and curious! As she was leaving, she told me she will get the dress in the shorter version for me. I assumed he thought the dress was too long for me? I tried on the shorter version and it was impossible to hook up the dress since it was soo tight! Two SA were helping each other to hook up w/o much success. However, no worries, Mr. Alaia to the rescue. He cam over and hooked up the dress for me. I swear, I wanted to scream! He...touched...me! AHHH! I said "merci" to him. The dress was so beautiful.
The SA and I went out to show Linh and again I told him what just transpired w/ me and the man. The SA lady told Linh that I was lucky to have that much 'interaction' with him..he normally just says hi to the customer. I had asked if I was able to snap a picture with him but to my dissapointment she said no. I wanted to sneak and try it but my phone makes the shutter noise when I try to take pics and I haven't figured out a way to silence it...darnit! But what a shopping experience!!
I rung the doorbell to the Alaia store and once the SA buzzed me in, I felt like a kind in a candy store, literally. The boutique was organized by color and was spaced out - just how I like it. I went down each row to find the goodies and found a few dresses, skirts and tops I wanted to try on. When I was done browsing, the SA led me to this single open floor dressing room with mirror on all 4 walls (from what I remembered).
There was one person in the room with me and she was so gorgeous. She was tall and lean with long, dark, thick hair which reminded me of a mix between Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and stylist, Barbara Martelo. Anyway, we both started to converse and she told me her mother was a friend of Alaia's and that she was there to get fitted for her wedding dress. It would be her first time seeing it so she was very nervous. I gasped and told her it must be exciting for her and there is no doubt that it would be BEAUTIFUL!
After conversing for another 10 minutes on random things, there he was..the man...Azzedine Alaia entered the room with the girl's mother! I couldn't breathe and was so nervous. He said "bonjour" to me and I replied back. O.M.G. we exchanged pleasantries!! He carried in the girl's wedding dress and it was absolutely f*ckin drop dead gorgeous! Well, I had to go about my business and tried on my clothes...I didn't want to look like a stalker evn though I was keeping a close watch out the corner of my eye!
The first dress I tried on was this black, full skirted dress that hits mid thigh. It was very short and it was shorter on the back but I loved it. As I was checking myself out in the mirror, I glanced at Mr. Alaia who was in front of me and as we made eye contact, he said the length was perfect and the SA agreed since I am so petite. OMFG, I was smiling from ear to ear as I went to show Linh - he loved the dress on me. I told him what went down b/t me and the man, but he didn't quite understand what the big fuss was (hello?!?!?)
Next, I then tried on the strapless dress with a built-in corset. It was long hitting my middle calf. Mr. Alaia spoke to the SA in French and moved his finger up and down pointing at me...I was confused and curious! As she was leaving, she told me she will get the dress in the shorter version for me. I assumed he thought the dress was too long for me? I tried on the shorter version and it was impossible to hook up the dress since it was soo tight! Two SA were helping each other to hook up w/o much success. However, no worries, Mr. Alaia to the rescue. He cam over and hooked up the dress for me. I swear, I wanted to scream! He...touched...me! AHHH! I said "merci" to him. The dress was so beautiful.
The SA and I went out to show Linh and again I told him what just transpired w/ me and the man. The SA lady told Linh that I was lucky to have that much 'interaction' with him..he normally just says hi to the customer. I had asked if I was able to snap a picture with him but to my dissapointment she said no. I wanted to sneak and try it but my phone makes the shutter noise when I try to take pics and I haven't figured out a way to silence it...darnit! But what a shopping experience!!
I ended up purchasing 2 dresses (not the strapless corset dress). I wanted everything I tried on but not in the budget the moment! The SA lady told me that there will be a 40% off sale at the end of June and to email her if I wanted anything I didn't purchase that day and she'll send them to me. June rolled around and I decided on a few pair of shoes and a top I had try on in the store...madness! There were a few same Alaia pieces at Barneys in Dallas but the prices were signifigantly higher by atleast 300-500 dollars so I just went through the SA in Paris. Honestly, even though our dollar is weaker, merchandise in Paris is notably cheaper and I save quite a bit from purchasing from there rather than the states. Time to save up and replenish my funds for the next soldes!
Here is the dress that cause the Alaia and Tien moment:
Here is the dress that cause the Alaia and Tien moment:
Linh snapped these 2 pics of the Alaia boutique:
I tried on this white fitted dress from the Alaia stock shop which sells previous seasons' leftover at serious discounts. I really loved this dress but opted not to purchase it. I spent way too much already!
NOTRE DAME:
arc de triomphe
jacket: hm; tank: ae; skirt: zara; flats: lanvins; necklace: f21
For dinner I wore:
excuse the wrinkles on the skirt..that is what happens when it is satin material ! note:pic was taken after dinner
top: tahari; skirt and belt: prada; shoes: alaia
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