Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, Van Cleef & Arpels Gallery, Studio Willy Rizzo: three fashion exhibitions to see in Paris as soon as the sites reopen<

Here are our three tips for fashion exhibitions to see from May 19, at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, at the jeweler Van Clef & Arpels and at the Studio Willy Rizzo.

"Azzedine Alaïa, Peter Lindbergh" at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation

The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation celebrates two talents who have written a page in the history of photography and fashion with the exhibition Azzedine Alaïa, Peter Lindbergh, whose opening initially scheduled for April 26 has been postponed. The photographer and the couturier found themselves in the affection for the black that they cultivate in silver prints or in solid colors of clothing. Although from opposite geographies, they have similar horizons: originally from Duisburg in Germany, Peter Lindbergh was trained at the School of Applied Arts in Krefeld. The School of Azzedine Alaïa is that of Fine Arts in the sculpture department in Tunis where the couturier grew up. The whitewashed facades that reflect the deep shadows of passers-by accompanied the Tunisia of Alaïa. The architectures that Duisburg, an industrial and commercial city possesses, serve as a framework for Peter Lindbergh as much as the Dutch beaches he frequents. The two men share a taste for great horizons, whether in the Mediterranean or the North. While Peter Lindbergh made a name for himself in Germany thanks in particular to the magazine Stern, then set up his studio in Paris in 1978, Azzedine Alaïa was a couturier steeped in discretion whose sophisticated techniques were secretly exchanged between haute couture clients. Both reject artifice, which entertains real subjects, and simplicity is their playground.

Alaïa's clothes, according to the wishes of the couturier himself, must be the bases of the smiles and looks of those, icons and top models who wear them. For Lindbergh - who built his notoriety on the image of these great models - only the authenticity of a trait counts. "A few words are enough for those who know how to understand", the couturier and the photographer seem to admit to themselves on the instant images that bring them together.

Azzedine Alaïa, Peter Lindbergh exhibition until September 19, 2021. Azzedine Alaïa Foundation. 18, rue de la Verrerie.

"Humorous parenthesis, when the jewel has spirit" at the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique

The Humorous parenthesis exhibition, when the jewel has spirit shows how humor crosses the history of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels, a subject rarely discussed in jewelry. For illustrators, designers and artisan jewellers, this very often means reviving carelessness and expressing confidence in a better tomorrow. "If our name intimidates you, it's because you don't know our shop", proclaims a Van Cleef & Arpels advertisement in 1972. This shop, then located at 22 place Vendôme, is a showcase dedicated to "young jewellery" and easy to wear. Thanks to this collection, the house hopes to free itself from its own legend "that of celebrities and crowned heads who form its most loyal clientele". From its foundation at the start of the 20th century, the house has made joie de vivre one of the components of its signature; in the 1920s, she offered amusing creations: yellow gold and enamel charms depicting a Harlequin escaping from its box, a duck in a hat as if taken from an animated drawing or a thermometer measuring the level of passion. Other humorous creations aim to support the courage of men and women during the darkest hours: Sailor clip with accordion, Nurse clip and Soldier drawn on signs from 1940. From the 1950s, this ode to joy manifests itself in a bestiary collection: clips representing disheveled lions with muzzles set with diamonds, ducks on the run or playful pony. This world "where you will discover jewels full of gaiety and fantasy..." has met with great success which has crossed the Atlantic. With a nod to American cartoons, a mischievous cat with an onyx belly and a mouse with a chrysoprase body form the star couple of an advertisement celebrating Van Cleef & Arpels' Paris Jewel Boutique in the United States. The humorous treatment is not limited to the animal kingdom: Pirate clip in gold and enamel with an articulated structure, Cowboy clips, lighter in yellow gold with its pack of real matches complete with a scraper. To promote this object, the advertisement mischievously states: "Works even when out of gas."

The archives, which are made up of advertisements, original drawings and product signs, illustrate the regular use of jokes, puns and slogans as communication tools. In a 1972 advertisement, Jacques Arpels makes this statement tinged with irony with regard to its competitors: "When everyone takes up an idea, it's because it's good." On an advertisement from 1916, the sketch of a couple stands out in front of a shop window accompanied by the following caption: "Tell me, my darling...: buy me a wooden jewel... it will bring you luck". A poster from 1975 proclaims: "Certain follies are also investments of great wisdom."

Exhibition Humorous parenthesis, when the jewel has spirit until August 31, 2021. Van Cleef & Arpels boutique. Heritage Gallery. 20 Place Vendome.

"Outdoor Portraits" by Willy Rizzo at Studio Willy Rizzo

Willy Rizzo began his career in the golden age of photojournalism. He became famous for his iconic portraits of celebrities. With the confidence of the stars, the photographer distinguished himself by unpublished stagings that signed a style. A press photographer, he was one of the witnesses of the 20th century. By capturing moments of fashion in his lens, he has fixed the stylistic evolutions through time and testified.

The gallery that bears his name is devoting a new exhibition to him, Outdoor Portraits, which pays homage to the freshness of the artist's outdoor portraits. For the first time, Studio Willy Rizzo is offering a 360° virtual tour of the exhibition. At the center of this presentation, around twenty silver prints have been chosen, combining the art of outdoor portraiture and its staging. For each of his portraits, Willy Rizzo reconstructs an outdoor studio to accommodate natural light "and then, at the will of the sky, luck. The lucky star must be on your side". A decor that reinforces the authenticity brought to the photograph. In these prints the photographer perceives much more than the environment by managing to make something important out of it, to create a dynamic and a look as with Monroe, Penn, Dietrich, Nicholson, Bardot, Picasso... His warm presence and his good communicative mood, his spirit makes the masks fall and his images are always the result of a friendly encounter and a shared intimacy with his subjects. "It's not easy to be photographed, it takes great concentration, patience. For the photographer it's the same thing. When you are at the level of looking for more than the photo, it requires an immense effort. After this past effort, something remains."

Exhibition Outdoor Portraits by Willy Rizzo until May 31, 2021. Studio Willy Rizzo. 12 rue de Verneuil.