DressSpace

FIFTH CENTURY – MOSAIC FROM LATERAN BAPTISTRY, ROME.

Ecclesiastical costumes adopted lay garments such as the Dalmatic, decorated with clubs (on the right), and the Chasuble, a long sleeveless vestment gathered up on the arms ( on the left).

Lay and clergy where nonetheless separated by some peculiar details.

The two saints are showing heavily tonsured heads; the one on the left is wearing a pallium on his chasuble: a long white woollen strip decorated with two crosses which reminds the roman pallium – a cloack that replaced the toga in it traditional uses) for the way it wraps around the neck.

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Everybody probably knows Nick Cave, the ingenious singer, but there is, in the art scene, another homonymous,  who may be not so well known, but  is as talented and nearly of the same age .

He’s an American artist of African origins, his deep roots reverberate through all his art, joyful, theatrical, tribal, dancing.

His works are actually extraordinary costumes related to ethnic and carnival masks, which sometimes recall complicated liturgical equipment, others fragments of a luxuriant nature, or even stacks of wood and stones.

The peculiarity of these beautiful and complex creations, that he calls “soundsuit”, is that they can actually be worn and are used for dancing.

Nick Cave is always associating his exhibitions with music and dancing choreographies, related to the propitiatory rituals of primitive cultures, or to the   redeeming ones of a certain folklore (even from our own- for example the mammutones in Sardinia).

This year for the first time in Italy, it twill be possible to admire his solo show in Verona, on until 10th of May in the Studio La Citta’ di Verona gallery.

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THE FASHION SECTOR TAKES STOCK OF FINANCIAL CRISIS

For the Italian fashion and textile sector the year 2009 has not been a happy year at all and has caused many difficulties to the firms in our Country.

The year that is going to finish should close with a decrease of 16%, reduced to 45 billion Euro and with a loss of 26,000 places of work according to the association Sistema Moda Italia.

There are however positive signals, indeed Mario Borselli said: “The way down has stopped but the resumption is too slow and the risk is to lose too many firms in the meantime”.

Michele Tronconi, chairman of Sistema Moda Italia:

“We should keep the production chain articulated”. Tronconi suggests the scrapping of the software, trying to create a virtuous circle among firms, banks and credit insurances.

More positive are the results of the luxury sector, which has clear signals of improvement, with an estimation of growth around 5% in 2010, after the negative trend of 2009, with a turnover decrease between 5% and 9%.

To go out from this crisis the fashion world is aiming mainly at the green economy, trying to create alternative products, finding different consumers’ orientations and addressing the whole production chain towards this direction.

The green thought effects more and more new social groups, being leaders in some choices and costumes with the aim to take again possession of the environment.

It is better to cover the body with natural products produced by our plants.

In the meantime the firms wink at the East.

The true hope of growth is still coming from the Far East with the only exception of Japan.

For the firms it will be absolutely fundamental to recognize China’s commercial power, which will be the engine for the resumption.

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1- MARKED WAIST, MAN TROUSERS

Confirmed the slim and long silhouette.

With marked waist at the hips.

Still crimped and short, often mini, skirts.

But the big skirt is coming back.

The slim trousers are coming back, not skinny or man’s style, but with darts.

2- THE NEW COATS: CLOAKS AND CAPES

They will be the next winter coats.

Paris confirms in this way the trend that has strongly come out also in the parades of Milan: short or long, capes and cloaks, better if in double face fabric.

3- THE FUR. ALSO IN WOOL

Still many.

With the new entry of fake furs.

It is probably the most successful new trend in Paris, after that Milan and New York have opted for precious furs.

And fake fur means wool too.

4- THE WAISTCOAT IS THE NEW CULT CLOTHE

Often called sleeveless cardigan.

It will be the true 2010 winter cult.

Coats, jackets, capes, dresses, cardigans will be sleeveless.

And it is a trend shared by all the fashion parades of this season, from New York to Paris.

5- THE POINTED TOE SHOES (ALSO WITH 6CM HEEL)

The pointed toe shoes come back again.

That’s right, the one making a foot long if wearing a low heel.

But with a ten centimeter pointed heel they are very very elegant.

And as far as heels are concerned, the medium height has come back, for the joy of many women: six centimeters.

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In this particular case the shape of the bowtie tends to create sharper edges, resulting in an altogether stronger and crispier projection, suitable for the energy of a social event.

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The actor’s fashion designer: “She is the anti Victoria Beckham, style has nothing to do with money”.

Angelina’s trend: the “mixed” shopping.

A designer dress and a dress that anyone can buy.

Jolie has been the first one and now many others do the same.

She goes to the nursery school to pick up her many kids, always wearing black twin-sets covered by a gray shawl and leggings.

She always wears designer sun glasses, a few dollars t-shirt and flat shoes and flipflop bought in the big stores.

Some cotton dresses by Rachel Pally for about 90 euro each, she bought 20 of them to wear alternating them.

In order to make lose the value of the photos taken by the paparazzi it is a good idea to wear always the same things, this makes images all the same being then less interesting to the readers.

The result, the photographers leave Jolie more in peace.

Less vamp and very much more mum, it is a trend to combine wisely low cost dresses with the designers’ ones.

She has created a style and now she is imitated very much.

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Versace steals details from the wardrobe of the enduro and mixes elastics with metallic leathers.

Bye bye to the model of gentleness.

The woman coming from the next winter catwalks is as hard as the steel.

Determined and menacing, fast and sparkling.

Donatella Versace says.

“We live in a weak society, it is up to us to be strong using all the means to be respected. And we don’t leave even the motorbike to the men. Never submitted: neither at work nor in the private life”:

Graphic dresses as tight as gloves, pointed toe boots, mirrored leather rigid bags, looking like weapons.

Ferré collection, designed by Aquilano and Rimondi, and marked by the writings from the Bauhaus is full of shell-coats, anatomic knitted dresses and big belts, like Gibaud bands.

DSquared2 presents red and black case-like dresses, killer zips and slashes, fetish heels with vertebra shapes.

The sweet model of woman disappears.

Giorgio Armani says.

“The world orders to be strong and hard. And the young girls should learn the composed elegance, above all in a town. They can relax wearing jeans in the spare time.”

In the Emporio he imagines up town girls, with synthetic gorilla-like furs, jackets with squared shoulders, man’s style coats, walking on 12cm heels.

Alberta Ferretti: “The important is to feel a dress yours, feeling good with one’s own. Neither too skinny, nor too fat, finding the right balance and to love one’s self is fundamental. There is not better recipe for seducing.”

She prefers special finishing for natural colour dresses with applications of strass on the tulle with tattoo effect, tail coats with pleats and gathers.

Blumarine dresses are black and fringed, interrupted by flashes of printed animalier and strass giving light spots to cardigans and boots.

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Baroque and rococo dresses, with flounces and showy ribbons fit for an eighteenth-century ball.

These are not ambiguous creations by a fashion designer, but originate from the ingenious mind of a young artist from Bologna: Adriano Persiani (born in 1972).

Ambiguous, since a bourgeois and prosaic soul, an everyday face, is concealed under a luxurious expression of court costumes and epoch reconstruction.

For his creations, Persiani utilizes the poorest and cheapest materials, in contrast with the pompous and theatrical style of the models.

So, when we take a closer look to reveal the trick, we realise that the “material” used for his creations is as ordinary as our own bath towels, or the waxed plastic we use for our kitchen tables.

However, since it is easier to believe in the fairy tale linked to princely garments as opposed to Persiani’s sardonic and domestic copy, when we find ourselves admiring these masterpieces in an art gallery we may find it difficult to expose the true nature of things, hidden behind a clever masquerade displayed for us by the author himself.

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LATE ROMAN JEWELLERY AND EARLY MIDDLE AGES.

In late-Roman, gothic and Byzantine jewellery, the gold’s splendour acquires further value thanks to fretwork and chisel work (Aurum interrasile).

In the picture above: Roman earring in a Jewish style ( Cagliari, national museum, fourth century).Filigree earrings ( Taranto, National museum, end of sixth century).

Necklace made from 50 small embossed heads ( Pavia, Civic museum, fifth century).

Bigger than life size gold fly ( Trapani, Pepoli museum, ninth century).

Gothic fretwork brooch ( Reggio Emilia, Chierici museum, fifth century ).

Solid gold ring with chisel work and central oval stone. Chain and gold Gallienus coin pendant. Gold armband made from six solid gold threads (Parma, Antiques museum, late-Roman age).

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Walter Abini wears four masks that he himself conceived and manually created with feathers, fabric, crystals, sequins, purpurine and other materials all glued, painted and varnished.

THE EAGLE

With black cock feathers.

THE PHEASANT

This mask was worn for an Ideacomo gala dinner having “The hunting”as a theme.

PISCES

Walter Albini zodiac sign.

THE BUTTERFLY

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