Why Alaïa turned down the top job at Dior

With all the talk about Riccardo, Haider and whomever else Dior may be considering to replace John Galliano, the biggest name is one that hasn’t been mentioned: Azzedine Alaïa.

Fashion Editor Vanessa Friedman reported that Alaïa was approached to fill Galliano’s vacant seat, and declined the offer.

‘Mr Alaïa wasn’t interested. Flattered, but not about to pursue. The story of what happened with John was a sad story, he said when I asked him, and he didn’t want to be part of the next chapter. And that’s even before you got to the other stuff,’ Friedman wrote.

Friedman suggested that Alaïa would have been an attractive prospect to Dior for his couture experience and titanic reputation, but that the designer’s age (he’s in his 70s) and working style explain why he turned down the job. After all, Alaïa has stood as a conscientious objector to fashion’s breakneck pace since halting seasonal collections in the ‘90s. Rather than mounting full-scale fashion shows, in recent years the designer has presented (and delivered to stores) small collections at his own pace.

It works because he’s Alaïa—having reached such a stature that he can summon important editors and buyers at will, his reticence to return to the show-season scramble is understandable.

Furthermore, Al