Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, And More Mourn One Of Their Favorite Designers
There's a pivotal scene in the 1995 cult classic Clueless in which our leading lady, Cher (played by Alicia Silverstone), is held up at gunpoint in a San Fernando Valley parking lot. She's terrified for her life, but when her attacker demands she lay down face-first on the pavement before making off with her purse and her phone, she protests.
"Oh no, you don't understand!" she pleads. "This is an Alaïa!" The thief is confused. "It's like a totally important designer." The dude doesn't care and forces her to ruin her dress so that he can get away, but the moment is one of the most memorable from the movie — and one that said plenty about Azzedine Alaïa, who died on November 18 at the age of 82, and his impact on high fashion and popular culture at large.
Alaïa's gowns were huge hits with celebrities across film, music, and fashion, and a number of them — including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian — voiced their grief on social media in the hours following his passing. Here are some of their fond remembrances of Alaïa below.
Rihanna
Lady Gaga
Kim Kardashian
Ava DuVernay
Madonna
Mariah Carey