Being a redhead, I love Klein blue and emerald green. I could not resist and took a picture of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele’s Prada flagship store, with all the turquoise and electric yellow stripes. Every six months Miuccia Prada dictates the fashion’s agenda. Continue reading ‘Pradetor’
And a lovely statuette for Natalie Portman…yesterday night we toured the cinemas in eastern Rome and finally found a movie theater where The Black Swan was not sold out. Portman is great in the role and her dedication (physical and psychological) for the role is outstanding…a well deserved triumph.
Well my plan was to get back to my hotel, the party was still going, but my guests were going home to meet nannies deadlines. So don’t ask me how I ended up at the Duran Duran concert on Friday! One moment I was waiting for a cab and saying goodbye to a friend from London, and one minute after I got whisked away to the Teatro dal Verme…
I was 11 when I first heard the Duran Duran hits on Radio Luxemburg by night. And they were the first true fashion inspiration for me and my friends at school. We would use Studio Line to make our hair, just like John Taylor. We would imitate his new romantic look. That explains why the average age of the audience at the Vogue Italia party, hosted by Franca Sozzani and Hogan, was over forty.
Saturday morning. An early wake up in Milan, a cab from Stazione Garibaldi to the Quadrilatero and off to a morning briefing. But first of all I hit the news stand opposite via Montenapoleone for a copy of the Herald Tribune and sit a moment with a cappuccino. The big gossip on Thursday was John Galliano’s rage in at La Perle, a Paris bar of the Marais. Now it’s in the news.
You know that I don’t particularly fancy Milan. Still each time I am in town I do try to see a positive angle. I behave like a refugee, I have my hideouts, and sometimes ask right of asylum to our dear friends Giu and Cri on the Navigli, who over strascenate con la ricotta salata tell me wonders about the State schools in Milan and the added value of their multikulti environment.
At the end of the week I went there for the Fashion Week and I must say that it was hard to find a positive angle. Normally in this time of the year Milan is at its best, there’s some electricity, some energy. This time round, all was way too quiet. Cab drivers were testimonials of this. During the Milano Moda Uomo in January I could eavesdrop all my clients saying “Oh forget it! next year I’ll go to Berlin in January for the menswear rather than Milan!” told me a cabbie yesterday when rushing for Milano Centrale. I didn’t say that, promised!
True, the city was paved in 80s garish hues of pink and purple posters “Milano Ama la Moda – Milan Loves Fashion” full of good intentions but the proclama remained quite empty. We’ll see if the Fashion still loves Milan…From the window of my hotel I could see the building site of the Regione and Quartiere della Moda. I love building sites but I don’t know why I cannot feel any “future” vibes here.
And this leads us naturally to Caparezza‘s new hit, “Goodbye Malinconia”. You will see extensive clips of the Stazione Garibaldi area. And Tony Hadley. Back from the 80s. Because Milan was very 80s – the music you could hear blasted inside Rinascente to the WonderWoman animations at the MAC counters. But we’ll talk more about the 80s mood of Milan in another post. Milan wants to look ahead by celebrating its Golden Age of the 80s. Not sure this is the way it works.
Who knows if things will change. Another Milanese friend, DL, told me she’s not so confident. She finds that the trend is a descending one, that there’s too much arrogance and an attitude of taken for granted in Milan. In her view, Rome is way more exuberant, experimental and creative, and frankly I cannot disagree, Rome never takes herself too seriously (apart from politicians and the church).
Still, I want to investigate the matter further. So we decided that we’ll have a look to the Salone del Mobile in April. Normally the Salone should show Milan at its best. Fashion Weeks are everywhere, but the Salone is definitely unique. Let’s see.
Oh yes, we’re looking forward to Unknown!! Another action movie set in Berlin after our obsession, The Bourne Supremacy. Towards the end of the trailer I’m pretty sure they’re filming in the Platz der Luftbrücke U-bahn station…one of the most anonymous, that’s why we like it!
Ventiquattro, the magazine of Il Sole 24 Ore, this month is dedicated to the rules. Angela Merkel on the cover is a very good fit.
“They give them (the protesters) pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe”.
Tripoli 2011. Berlin 1945.
I could not find online a picture of Merkel and Gaddafi shaking hands. Maybe there was not a photo opportunity? Nevertheless Russia, Italy, Malta, Germany and France supplied arms galore to Libya, not later than in 2009.
Body language: compare and contrast… Continue reading ‘Photo opportunities’
