The Last Supper

To be invited to dine in the kitchen of Azzedine Alaa was to be invited into the upper echelons of the fashion elite. Mumbai-based master embroiderer MaxiMiliano Modesti had a permanent seat at the table, alongside Naomi, Stephanie et al. In a moving account of what it was like to dine in the worlds most exclusive kitchen, he fondly remembers his mentor and friend, the late, great Azzedine

It was possibly the most extravagant dinner I have had in Azzedine Alaïa’s kitchen. There were eight of us present the day fellow guest and world-renowned castanet player Lucero Tena—who has played with some of the world’s greatest orchestras—performed an impromptu 15-minute concert as a gesture of thanks for the invitation. It was a beautiful moment, to see two geniuses communicating with each other through the offering of their arts. And viewed from the perspective of both his creative pursuits—fashion and cooking— Azzedine Alaïa truly was a genius.

It was in the kitchen that I first met Azzedine Alaïa, back in 1993. That was where I had my interview and he offered me the job as his assistant. Right there in the kitchen. It was the place where he judged people. And if he never invited you to the kitchen again, that was not a good sign.

Never has a room personified anyone as much as his kitchen did Azzedine. There were two [places for art] in his Paris home, an 18th-century hôtel particulier on Rue de Moussy—the kitchen and the studio. The kitchen was almost designed along the lines of la salon, a concept that was de rigueur in 18th-century France, where enlightened people would invite artists, philosophers and writers to congregate and speak. Coincidentally, nearly 300 years ago, this building served as the residence of the Marquise de Pompadour, renowned not just for her literature- and art-centric salons, but also said to have introduced fashion to the royal court. It wasn’t something Azzedine knew when he bought the building, but it certainly resonated with him. It was almost as though his Parisian home was meant to fulfil a destiny.