Something very special happened during my last visit to
Milan Fashion week: an unexpected sequence of events surprisingly revived my
love story with fashion. In returning to Florence on the train, I brought back
much more than just my suitcase!
I had the unique opportunity to visit the showroom of Roberta Di
Camerino, a bastion of Italian fashion, currently the subject of an exhibit in
Venice (see box). The new fall collection is a celebration of the outstanding
talent of Mrs. Giuliana Coen (aka Roberta di Camerino), the first lady of
Italian style.
Mrs. Coen created scarves, bags and dresses with
artistic vision and practical taste. She was friend of artist Salvador Dalì,
who once said she made ‘wearable art.’ With her trompe l’oeil technique, her
unique choice of colors, she conquered the market and claimed a special spot in
the history of Italian fashion. (Thanks to my dear friend Riccardo Mastrangelo
for hosting us during our visit and for introducing me, some years ago, to Mrs.
Coen after her show, a brief handshake I’ll never forget.) I was wearing my
mum’s Roberta shawl and couldn’t help but notice pieces and details I remember
seeing as a little girl in my home. My parents, a lawyer and a teacher, do not
have a personal connection with Mrs. Coen, but I realized after my weekend in
Milan that most of my passion for style had come from them.
I also attended the C’N’C fashion show. C’N’C is the young line of Costume National,
created by Ennio Capasa, and the brand played with a rock ‘n’ roll style this
season. In fact, C’N’C uses the daughters and sons of big rock legends in its
fashion shows and ad campaigns. The new face of the brand is none other than
Pixie Geldof, daughter of the great Irish singer/songwriter Bob Geldof. The
clothes, despite their rock flair, are tailored and represent a different way
to express young style: not underdressed and untidy, but serious and
thoughtful. I loved the collection, young yet sophisticated with orange and
purple touches, beautiful materials and a ‘60s twist. The talented fashion
designer for CNC is from my hometown, Lecce (often called ‘the Florence of the
south’). I began to reflect further: what had brought me, a girl from Lecce, to
Milan for Fashion Week?
Florence, of course!
The passion I had unconsciously cultivated while
surrounded by the glamorous items of my mum and my dad’s, classy pieces like
the soft cashmere sweater I am wearing as I write, grew through my formal
education in this unique city. Florence, famous as Renaissance symbol, is also
the cradle of Italian fashion. It was the fashion capital from the 1950s to the
1970s. It was the site of Italy’s first official fashion events, organized to
promote Italian style, not as the work of a single designer but a statement of
Italian taste. The first event, held at the Villa Torrigiani, was organized by
Giovanbattista Giorgini, an experienced businessman with very good contacts
with the U.S. market. Starting in 1952, his fashion shows moved to the famous
Sala Bianca of the Pitti Palace. The Pitti Palace is now home to a permanent
Costume Gallery displaying original costumes dating from the 1700s to today.
Studying in Florence opened my mind and broadened my
vision of style and life; it gave me the opportunity to attend the Fashion
Institute of Technology in New York, where I improved my English, the language
of international fashion. My teaching career and my column in TF, Style + the
City (a little tribute to the Big Apple), would not have been possible without
this experience. Yes, I’m being sentimental. But I realized how lucky I am to
be doing what I love and what has been a part of me since my childhood
daydreaming.
Back to business now! The trend currently creeping
onto runways everywhere is 90s style: pants rolled up around the ankles, long
jackets, flowy shirt dresses with leggings; a charming, renewed boy(George)ish
look we’ll see more and more. For those of you who prefer a more feminine look,
keep to 60s and 70s inspired pieces accented by this spring’s animal prints,
pink, bright colors and stripes, stripes, stripes geared towards a safari or
sailing look. So, pick one and have fun with it, but always remember to add
your own personal and unique touch to the look: the one that will let you walk
as the top supermodel of your personal runaway.
Roberta
di Camerino: The Revolution of Color
Fortuny
Museum
San
Marco 3958, Campo San Beneto, Venice
Through
May 8, 2011 (closed Tuesdays)
http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it
