Azzedine Alaïa’s bond with Christian Dior began long before he ever set foot in Paris. As a teenager in Tunisia in the early 1950s, he relied on a local midwife, Madame Pineau—cultured, sharp-eyed, and plugged into the wider world—who received parcels of Vogue and department-store catalogues from Le Bon Marché and La Samaritaine. She handed them straight to Alaïa, who devoured every page, storing up silhouettes and seams until 1956, when he arrived in Paris, 21 and ready to work at the Maison. The dream lasted four days. Without explanation, Dior’s atelier on avenue Montaigne let him go almost as quickly as it had taken him in. But Alaïa never let go of Dior. He spent the rest of his life collecting the designer’s work, amassing more than 600 pieces. Around 100 works from that trove are now on view at Galerie Dior. And a month later, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation will present 30 Dior designs, paired with his own work. Both shows are curated by Olivier Saillard. —Elena Clavarino