Bicentennial Nostalgia: Jessye Norman’s Dress at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation

Thirty-five years before Laurent Jolly's staging of the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies, Paris hosted another "King size" event: the Bicentennial of the French Revolution, in 1989, at the Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées. This time the staging was by the creative genius Jean-Paul Goude, now 85 years old, who is undoubtedly one of Jolly's inspirations.

At the time, the iconic moment was the interpretation of La Marseille by the black American opera singer Jessye Norman (who died in 2019), draped in a dress that struck the minds. This creation by Azzedine Alaïa is temporarily visible on the first floor of the foundation that bears his name.

A video of the Bicentennial show is projected on the same floor. On the ground floor of this unique venue, the Alaïa/Kuramata exhibition parallels the works of the Japanese designer (who died in 1991) and the creation of the great Franco-Tunisian couturier who died in 2017. The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation also houses an excellent restaurant recommended by le Marais Mood.