SCHIAPARELLI : SURREALISM IS COMING BACK

I wish to find soon in Rome the revived Schiaparelli brand. They might get the pret à porter in Gente soon also because it is owned by Diego della Valle, so with no doubt a Made in Italy griffe. I am reading right now a biography  of Dora Maar. Everybody knows her as the lover of Pablo Picasso but She was not only that. She was a fantastic surrealistic photographer and Elsa Schiaparelli always chose her for the pictures.

The collection shown few days ago is the Haute Couture so the only way is to go the Head Quarters in Paris Place Vendome. Here is the philosophy of this fantastic fashion show: The style of a woman comes from her spirit and personality. In the case of Elsa Schiaparelli, hers crystalized a femininity of cosmopolitan refinement. From her Mediterranean origin, she went on to live in London and New York before establishing herself in the City of Light – a true Parisian at heart. Her traveling life together with a fanciful sense of humour, a passion for dogs and an equal love for fine art as well as trinkets sum up her eclecticism and emancipated attitude. The Haute Couture collection transcends her wardrobe of neat allure where daily elegant sobriety gives way to a night time sensuality imbued with opulence and fantasy.

Daytime is essentially dark and obsessively adorned with the house symbols of butterflies, Ursa Major and padlocks. Silhouettes are graphic yet feature sunny highlights or touches of leopard. Fitted jackets are cut with small shoulders, narrow sleeves and maxi, 3D pockets. Embellished with contrasted embroideries, precious buttons and gold jewellery, the body-enhancing tailoring outlines the Schiaparelli signature.

Nighttime is definitely colourful and decidedly lavish with dresses mixing the unexpected and daring. Pure lines and liquid-looking draping enhance curves and unveil skin. Savoir-faire fuses rock crystal, coloured stones, leopard, deer, birds, dogs and blooms in a munificent manner. They blend Elsa Schiaparelli’s aesthetic of a rich interior decoration and a taste for fauna and flora.

The prowess of the atelier infuses grace and poetry into the collection with white cock feathers, a multi-coloured nylon neo-faux fur, a zebra jacquard, ethereal lace and incandescent embroideries. The essence of shocking pink and amethyst indigo, the depth of black and the sheen of metal define the true colour palette of Schiaparelli always playing with light and shadow. The creative director Bertrand Guyon is full of talent, He loved the Schiaparelli code such as the shocking pink, the animals, her artistic mood.

IN GOLD WE TRUST

In Rome during Alta Roma, a creativity week (more than a fashion week as the President Silvia Venturini Fendi said) I had the pleasure to discover Au197sm a pioneer. The entrepreneur Stefano Maccagnani and the Designer Paola Emilia Monachesi ( a former assistant of Gianni Versace) created this brand and, an avant-garde couture that merges sartorial savoir-faire with nano-technologies. The day before the show who took place in Cinecittà, we had the press conference and lunch at the Hotel Aleph, near via Veneto and the American Embassy.

The collection enphasises the fusion of precious metals and the use of ultrasonic welding . Through a process protected by an international patent, they bond 24 carat-gold and other precious metals to fabric. "Technology, research and tradition are the key points. The result is a tech couture. After Rome we will presented it in Paris". Stefano Macagnani, CEO of Au197sm explained  his goals at the press conference :" I am looking  for a human scale innovation and I am happy to bring this avant-garde technology  to the ultimate symbol of classicism". The production workshop is located in the Eternal City and the dresses looks a little bit like peplum of  Roman and Greek Goddess made of chiffon, cotton and organza. The palette of colours range from white, black, mint, licorice and pale rose. They also gave us a Tshirt. We are loosing powder of platinum, but after the first wash, the metal will stick together. We will keep you posted  on this matter. Mr Maccagnani promised us to tell also where the Au197sm will be sell in the future.

Fabrics range from hype technological to traditional materials given a contemporary twist. Refind tecnological details are made by fusing together nylon and Plexiglas fibers.Paper-like gold fabrics entirely made of unwoven gold create a minimalist look. We also loved the shoes. Creamy sneakers made of leather embellished with transparent sequins, nylon and Plexiglas threads and decorated with precious metals and gold.

SHOPPING IN ROME IN AN ARTISANAL HUB

Thanks to my PR friend Benedetta, I discovered Manifactory -Craftsmanship Coworking. It is more than a concept store, it is different things together : a new gallery of contemporary art, craftsmanship and design, fashion and ideas.  It was conceived by Cristiana Del Bello and Paolo Molaioni, with the aim of promoting and developing small and medium-sized craft companies and emerging designers, Italian and International. They change designers more or less every month, for example now we have bathing suits and tote bags for the beach.

The gallery is located in the ancient Jewish district: in  Via dei Funari 21A, one of the oldest areas of Rome where sometimes I go, especially to visit a fantastic home living store nearby called Limentani but this is another  story. 

MANIFACTORY is extremely interesting because generally clients asked me for brands they don't find in their countries. Here is exactly what they are looking for eventhough not everything there is up to date. Some orange coats did not convinced me but, on the other hands, some jewels were gorgeous.

To highlight its activity Manifactory organizes events every month in collaboration with the artisans and designers, attracting an Italian and International audience.

This great concept store presents mostly emerging designers. Not only shirts and bags but also jewels and bathing suits, hand-painted tshirts and why not  ? Ceramics.

At the moment, on the wall, you can admire the works of Olga Volha Piashko, whose three-dimensional portraits have already been presented in many galleries in Italy and abroad. Another artist to mention is Massimo Ripa, a goldsmith craftsman who creates paintings. I was happy to visit it and, in a moment where Italy needs to promote its artisans, a place like Manifactory  deserves to be known.