L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano T he amazing tale of Italian fash- ion is made of s t y l e , b e a u t y , c r e a t i v i t y a n d preciousness. It is also made of names so famous around the world they are synonym with Made in Italy and Ital- ian style themselves: think of Prada, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Valenti- no: who doesn't know them? T r u t h i s t h e r e a r e m a n y other, incredibly influential n a m e s i n I t a l i a n f a s h i o n that perhaps only real fash- i o n i s t a s k n o w a b o u t , b u t they are certainly not less worthy of praise, nor less creative. Less mainstream perhaps, but great innova- tors and artists, neverthe- less. A n i n t e r e s t i n g a r t i c l e a b o u t I t a l y ' s " f o r g o t t e n designers" penned by Ella R o s e P h i l l i p s r e c e n t l y appeared on quirky and oh- so-interesting online maga- zine Italy Segreta: the piece c e n t e r e d o n n a m e s m o s t Italians know, but who may not be as popular outside our borders. A great way to p a y h o m a g e t o t h e a r t o f Italian fashion design and to its incredible variety and creativity. Krizia When I used to live on the I t a l i a n R i v i e r a , I u s e d t o take sewing lessons from an elderly lady who worked in Via Montenapoleone all her life: she was a professional s e a m s t r e s s f o r f a m o u s I t a l i a n f a s h i o n d e s i g n e r M a r i u c c i a M a n d e l l i , known as Krizia. Mandelli w a s f r o m B e r g a m o , b u t o p e n e d u p h e r a t e l i e r i n Milan, of course, the cradle of Italian fashion: there, she rose to fame in the iconic 1960s and 1970s, the very years my teacher worked with her. Known lovingly as "the godmother of Italian fashion," as Phillips points out, being a designer wasn't really in Mandelli's family plans for her: her parents, as many others of that genera- tion, wanted her to have a more stable job and become a s c h o o l t e a c h e r . A n d a teacher was she until 1954, when a friend suggested she followed her dream to make a living from fashion: and s o , o f f s h e w e n t f r o m Bergamo to buzzing, glitzy M i l a n , t r y i n g t o s e l l h e r designs in the city's trendi- e s t a n d m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s stores. It was a journalist from famous Italian women magazine Grazia to notice her talent: ten years later, in the midst of the swinging '60s, Mandelli held her first fashion show as "Krizia," a name she borrowed from one of Plato's last dialogues, where he discussed female v a n i t y a n d b e a u t y w i t h a character named Critias. As Krizia, Mandelli mingled with the greatest names of p o p a r t , i n c l u d i n g A n d y W a r h o l , f o r w h o m s h e posed. She is the creator of t h e s h o r t e s t h o t p a n t s , which she presented on the runway in 1971. In the end, though, it all fitted with her i d e a l o f f e m i n i n i t y a n d womanhood, based on the – at the time—revolutionary c o n c e p t o f w o m e n f u l l y embracing their freedom of b e i n g a n d o f e x p r e s s i n g t h e m s e l v e s . A n d s o , t h e question arises: what would modern women fashion be without Krizia? E l v i r a L e o n a r d i Bouyeure (Biki) There is, perhaps, only one world more "fashion- able than fashion," that of opera. Elvira Leonardi B o u y e u r e b e l o n g e d t o both. She was born in Milan in the early 1900s and her connection with music was etched deep in her genes: Elvira was the grandchild of G i a c o m o P u c c i n i , who u s e d t o c a l l h e r b i c c h i n a w h e n s h e w a s a c h i l d . Bicchina later became Biki, the name she was to become f a m o u s i n f a s h i o n w i t h . D u r i n g o n e o f h e r m a n y t r i p s t o P a r i s , w h e r e s h e would learn about couture a n d d e s i g n , B i k i m e t h e r h u s b a n d , a r t c o l l e c t o r R o b e r t B o u y e u r e . S h e o p e n e d h e r f i r s t s t o r e i n Milan (of course!) in 1934, w i t h o t h e r s c o m i n g s o o n a f t e r i n P o r t o f i n o , S a i n t T r o p e z a n d Z u r i c h . N o t many know that Biki is con- sidered the first designer to the stars: her most famous clients were the great names o f o p e r a , a s y o u w o u l d expect from Puccini's grand- child, including the divina Maria Callas, but also well known figures of cinema, including Brigitte Bardot and our very own Sophia Loren. But it is her relation- ship with Callas that, per- haps, marked her career the most, also because of the magical connection between a P u c c i n i a n d o n e o f t h e most iconic sopranos in his- tory: Phillips explains that when Callas first arrived at La Scala, she was criticized for her dress sense. Biki, though, was so moved by her voice and performances she offered to dress her for all her public appearances: soon, Callas turned into a fashion icon and Biki into t h e d e s i g n e r o f t h e m o s t famous voice of all times. Fiorucci You all know at least one design by Fiorucci: the two cherubs -- one blonde, one raven-haired-- which have emblazoned millions and m i l l i o n s o f t - s h i r t s a n d accessories: a shout to disco culture in the 1980s, and to the early, feeble words of rave culture, at the begin- n i n g o f 1 9 9 0 s . E l i o Fiorucci and his fashion house are way more than that though. Fiorucci started working in his family's shoe shop at 14, along with his five siblings: Elio was a cre- a t i v e a t h e a r t a n d b e g a n d e s i g n i n g s h o e s p r e t t y young. In the 1960s, he trav- eled the world and visited Ibiza, Mexico and the beau- t i f u l , a m a z i n g , l i v e l y a n d artsy "swinging London" of those years: it was love at first sight, of course, espe- cially with the fresh, no-rule approach to fashion he could see in Carnaby Street and K i n g ' s R o a d . W h e n h e returned to Italy, Fiorucci s t a r t e d h i s o w n f a s h i o n label: it was eclectic, cre- ative, new and young, he wanted to bring London to M i l a n , a n d s e t n e w s t a n - d a r d s f o r I t a l y ' s f a s h i o n sense. In the following year, Fiorucci brought to the run- way his daring, colorful cre- ations, the most famous of w h i c h m u s t b e s t r e t c h denim, a pretty innovative idea for those years: think about him, next time you slide into your favorite pair of skinny jeans. Just like Krizia and Biki, Fiorucci had an incredible relationship with other artists, coming from all fields: Warhol even had an office in one of his stores; indeed, Fiorucci's stores where something so incredibly new, with parties, concerts and DJ sets taking place in them, he's been by many considered the father of the "concept store" idea, which is so popular today. Fiorucci is known for his use of colors and quirky designs (Photo: andersphoto/Shutterstock) Beautiful Italian fashion you may not know about GIULIA FRANCESCHINI LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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