Recently held at the Galleria Borghese museum in Rome up to 25 October, was a display of 65 garments by designer Azzedine Alaïa, as a showcase of "soft sculpture" within the context of the museum’s permanent collection.

"Each artist present in the gallery, from the ancients to Canova, considered the body worthy of celebration, molding clay or carving marble to reveal the male and female silhouettes. All shaped nudity, sculptured folds, seduced the viewer, being able to "craquer les hommes"; this is what all of Alaïa’s work aspires to, silhouettes worn by ideal women that can “crack” the heart of men," said a statement from the museum.