The Oracle on Buying

The city of Torino has become, of late, the center of Italian, and not only Italian, Indie Fashion, and by that I mean fashion not treading on anyone's footsteps.

One of the most striking examples of this new movement is Walter Dang, a stylist of French-Spanish-Vietnamese origins, who studied Fashion Design at ENNA in Toulouse and at the Ecole Anne Vaute in Castres, France, and subsequently in Barcelona, Spain, at the Instituto Internacional Feli.  After completing his studies, Walter collaborated in Paris with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Pierre Cardin, before launching his own brand in Torino in 2003.



Walter Dang doesn't follow trends, nor does he show his collections one season in advance.  He has no interest in prevailing current styles, does not employ professional models and, above all else, makes a strong statement with his very distinctive trait of pure freedom of expression.  All this makes it practically impossible to categorize him for, yes, he does create collections like any designer would, but other activities play an important part in his production.  Activities such as Art/Fashion exhibitions, with purely artistic creations such as the lamp installation at the MIAAO (Museum of Today's Applied Arts) in Torino in 2008, and theatrical costume design for the Loredana Furno Dance Theater Company, always in Torino.
In 2006, he also designed the uniforms and T-shirts for the Brooklyn International Film Festival.



Above, three outfits from the S/S 2010 collection, recently shown in Torino.

Clearly, Walter has many side activities and these are but a few.  As for the clothes, they do not seem to follow any pre-established trend, for they tend to range from semi-traditional hyper-feminine romanticism to somewhat ultra-pure, futuristic lines.



I'll be interviewing Walter Dang in the Fall, so you'll be able to read more about the views of this - certainly not mainstream - designer, who has, no doubt, plenty to say for himself.

African countries are entering the international fashion world, slowly but steadily...

I personally welcome that, as I find that new and genuine contributions are what is needed now for the fashion scene to evolve and African influences are, albeit relatively, new to global trends.

Camercouture basically promotes designers from Cameroon, though they are also open to all African designers.  We have mostly heard about stylists from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa entering the fashion world - now the collections of Cameroonian designers have been shown in London in 2009 and the event will be repeated, in London again, in October 2010, with a view to taking the show to major cities once a year after that.  As of 2011, a yearly fashion event is programmed in Douala, Cameroon.

Cynthia Anduhtabe, who is the CEO and Show Coordinator of Camercouture, is a motivated, determined woman who loves her country and feels its citizens and leaders can help promote it.

These are the technical details, as the clothes speak for themselves...

The town of Sabbioneta has just hosted Please Me Fashion, an exhibition described as "Fluctuations between Fashion and Art", in collaboration with Ermes, Center for Youth Studies.  It was not a collective show, but rather a display of works following five different themes in fashion.  You can see above a futuristic image by Aleksandra Zaharova, Russian photographer.  Here are the five themes:

DELUXE:  Luxury brands, often camouflaged as artistic products.  Luxury, Voluptuousness and Calmness, in the footsteps of the poet Baudelaire.

DE SADE's TAILORING:  Vanity's Hell:  must we SUFFER to be beautiful? "Women would rather go to hell on high heels than go to heaven in flat shoes" says Gianmarco Lorenzi, master of stiletto-heeled footwear.

FASHION NOVELS:  New trends in fashion photography.  This is a new phenomenon, as nowadays most pictures in top fashion magazines suggest impalpable stories, where the garment is rarely vividly portrayed.

FASHION INTELLECTUALS:  Clothes as sculptures, paper garments, performances and video-art.

FASHIONABLE TECH:  A simulation of the future to help us imagine the technological, cosmopolitan world awaiting us.

Above, clockwise: Robot Woman by Gaetano Muratore; Paper dress/sculpture by Caterina Crepax; The Birth of the Butterfly by Elisabetta Betty Apolloni; Paper dress/Fashion Paper Art by Jum Nakao.

The exhibition featured the work of some sixty artists from the world over, amongst them Carlotta Actis Barone, Nick Cave, Oskar Kogoj, Louisa Dvorak, and Caterina Crepax (for more on Caterina's work, see this writer's two posts, categories Art, published 1/4/2010 and Interviews, published on 1/22/2010).  Not just clothes, but paintings, objects, sculptures and video installations, as you will be able to see on the following page...

a dog-shelter in Novara, near Milan.  The beauty products (the BIO-BAO line) include a shampoo - not tested on other animals, of course - and a cornflower lotion, to make the coat shiny and scented.


Both Raffaella and Alessandra engage in other activities - Raffaella, an ex-fashion journalist, is at the head of STUDIO COSMA specializing in PR work in the fields of jewelry and watches, advising on strategy, editorial projects and event organization - among her clients, Dunhill, Piaget and Audemars Piguet.  Alessandra is a consultant for the Men's Fashion House TINO COSMA.  So, you see, the sisters are busy, and not only with doggy projects, which are, however, our main interest here.

I trust you'll enjoy the Blogbau, appreciate the beautiful Italian knitwear and perhaps have your four-footed darling exude a scent of cornflower...

See next page for more pictures....

Why crinolines now?  Very much a thing of the past, though the revival of 1950s styles is definitely related to these contraptions from past centuries.  We are living in an era of continuous revivals, see the shorts, now very fashionable, which marked the early seventies as "hot pants" just after the explosion of the mini-skirt in the mid-sixties.

The crinolines you can now see at the Musée Masséna are part of an exhibition of fashions from the 19th century, though they were also worn in previous periods, in different shapes and with prominence given to different angles - the "paniers" emphasized the hips, whilst these specific crinolines were rounded all over, so ladies took up a lot of space and no-one could get too close...they were often excessive, as were 18th century wigs, and generally worn with demure bonnets and small headdresses, maybe to compensate for the width of the lower part of the body.  Obsolete fashions, you may say, but fashion is never obsolete, as small details are regularly taken up in later times.

The Musée Masséna, which is hosting the exhibition, is a beautiful 19th century villa overlooking Nice's famous Promenade des Anglais and the Bay of Angels - the promenade was in fact built by the English visitors who used to spend the Winter in the mild climate of the region (Queen Victoria included) and the Bay of Angels is so called because one of Nice's saint protectors,Sainte Réparate, is said to have been "flown back home" by a storm of angels.

The lady on the right, wearing an afternoon gown and an "Andalusian" hat, is Teresa Canzio,  the daughter of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the much beloved war hero of Nice and Italian fame.

What I find very attractive about these clothes are the fabrics used, the rich silks, brocades and fine muslins and the great attention to detail - clearly, hand-sewing could produce perfect results.  Dresses in the 19th century often consisted of a bodice and separate skirt, to allow for some movement.  Poor women, always constricted, one way or the other, but then, THAT's what makes them so attractive, isn't it?  That air of helplessness...today's high heels are more closely related to impaired movement than some of you may think...

The exhibition will be on until September 19, 2010

Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)

The Musée Masséna is right next to the Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais.

Below, a view of the Promenade in the 19th century.

The Cannes Fashion Photography Festival opens today and will be on for most of Summer (see poster on the right for dates and venues).  Monumental pictures are now and will be later on show on the Croisette, in the palm grove and in the rose garden at the Pierre Canto Harbour, as well as at the Palm Beach Casino and the Martinez and 3.14 hotels.  The guest of honour this year is Jacques Olivar (last year it was Guy Bourdin, see my article published on 8/7/2009, category: editorials) though you'll be able to see the work of some ninety photographers from all over the world - quite a huge affair and a long walk, or rather a leisurely stroll throughout the town, particularly South-of-France-ish at this time of the year, just recovering from the Film Festival.

On the terrace of the Palm Beach Casino, 32 pictures by Olivar, placed on spotlit structures, will be seen day AND night - very enjoyable...a transition from glossy mags to a gigantic open-air exhibition.

Jacques Olivar's images are very elegant, I find, and reflect his strongly creative personality - see photographs above and below.  Born in Casablanca, Morocco - his mother was a gypsy from Andalucia - he spent his youth in this North-African country where he was inspired by the colors, warmth and scents of the "souks", and he abandoned it when Paris finally opened its arms to the new "enfant prodige", for he loved creating images AND Paris loved his images.

The Cannes Fashion Photography Festival has been a great success for eight consecutive years by now, giving visitors the possibility to be in the midst of enormous images spread all over the town and I recommend you go and see it, if you have the opportunity, for it's a brilliant association of fashion photography with real-life settings. 

Three prizes will be awarded by the jury, choosing from the ninety participants, on the basis of their creativity, imagination and daring - the winners will be the photographers capable of making us "dream through their work".  See my selection of photographs on the following page.

Yes, IT IS a ladies' handbag, indeed...

Our endless quest for new talent takes us across the waters this time...to Canada and to the city of Toronto, more precisely.

Toronto has been coming up a lot recently, it is where Atom Egoyan's latest movie, Chloe, is set, a beautiful city combining the old and the new world, which is also often the setting of writer Margaret Atwood's brilliant novels.  Atom Egoyan is one of my favorite film directors and Margaret Atwood...well, she is the most brilliant writer of our times, in my opinion, telling stories, of late, which are set out of this world, her imagination being beyond comparison.

It is not surprising, then, that Guy Latulippe, Canadian stylist and designer, should be living and working in this city. Guy designs handbags and purses for ladies (and for gentlemen as well) with a creativity extending to other fashion (and non-fashion)-related fields, so more is yet to come...For the time being, you can admire the PURSONALITY corset bag (leopard-lined), on the right, which is part of Guy's brand-new denim collection which also includes the ROXI and THE STALWART, a flaptop men's messenger, below (the design is based on the structure of the fire escape in Guy's old Toronto studio).

This new collection, in blue and black denim, was inspired by discarded bits of clothing...the bags are produced one at a time, with extreme attention to detail, as you can see.

I have been enthusiastic about Guy Latulippe's bags since I first saw them, the originality of design, the choices of color, the materials (see more on the following page)...seldom had I seen accessories of such originality before.  His pieces remind me of Salvador Dali's fashion-related creations, such as the lip-shaped couch he made for Elsa Schiaparelli and the precious-stone jewels - I am thinking in particular about the lip brooch and the lobster bracelet (where are they now? somewhere in a private collection? I saw them with my own eyes at an exhibition in Paris in the '80s, when I was a fashion student)...true works of art by a most gifted creative mind, though Dali's fame rests mostly on his work as a painter and sculptor, we all know that.

The Cannes Film Festival is not just for showing movies, we all know that...it's an excellent platform for established and would-be celebrities to be seen and publicize themselves, not to mention the events sponsored by a number of producers of goods and services whose business will doubtless be helped by their being there.

I attended the Cannes Film Festival a couple of times in the last few days to witness the hustle-and-bustle going on and in particular to have a look at what people were wearing, both in the way of luxury clothes and accessories or to spot new trends  - nothing to report there any different from what has been widely covered in the past couple of months.

The Terrazza Martini has been a great success in Cannes for quite a few years now and is THE place to be seen at sipping cocktails and meeting glamorous stars, all very casual, most musical and above all in a great setting on the beach, definitely a piece of excellent interior (though very much open to the exterior) decoration.  See some of the guests below, such as Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Jennifer Hudson clad in electric blue (very much a NOW color) in the company of Terrence Howard.


Another interesting venue is the Swarovski suite at the Martinez Hotel, (see right) where we can admire interesting pieces such as the "Mybag" clutch, (above) produced in a very limited edition for the Festival stars (each clutchbag with the owner's name engraved on the inside) as worn by the stunning Eva Longoria (see below).







On the subject of luxury accessories, Jaeger-Le-Coultre, long-established watchmakers, who opened their boutique at 27, rue d'Antibes (THE street) in Cannes about a year ago, are behind an exhibition of images by British photographer Lorenzo Agius, which can be seen in town.  Many personalities are wearing their watches, such as Matthew McFayden, of Robin Hood movie fame (he plays the sheriff of Nottingham). Below, wearing JJLC watch.





All this glitter is a pleasure to one's eyes, and, for some, it could be a hint of what make of watch to buy next, what clutchbag would be the most desirable to own or what cocktail to choose to drink when asked "what's yours"...

Personally, I would choose to own a Jaeger-Le-Coultre watch, their design is so unique and was so revolutionary when first produced in 1833 (!) - I am talking about the REVERSO model, but any other will do...


Photographs (save for Terrazza Martini) by Image.net by Getty Images

Make-up and hair are not exactly my field - I leave the subject to Regina Harris' proven expertise and great experience....you'll be able to read below Regina's comments on the subject, bearing in mind that she speaks as a professional, whilst I do so merely as an aesthete...  However, I would like to make a few observations on the by now well-established trend for African-typed girls to wear their hair straight, either by using a wig or putting their mane through a series of mostly harmful treatments.

My big question has always been: WHY?  It creates a look which can't help being artificial.
See, right, Alba, wearing her hair in African-style braids - at the end of the leash ( she wouldn't allow me to publish her own image) Asta, wire-haired fox terrier (what else?) whose hair, I assure you, is unstraightened - that would go without saying.

We all know, sure, that European-typed girls have been doing similarly for a long time,  perming their hair when straight and straightening it when frizzy, undoubtedly motivated by a desire to look the opposite of what would be natural.  In general, if Mother Nature gave you straight hair, it goes better with your face - the same applies to frizzy hair - do you think the pre-Raphaelite ladies would have had such a success and made their mark in art history without their mane of frizzy, red hair?

Above, two paintings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti: Lady Lilith (1868) Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington and Fazio's Mistress (1863) Tate Gallery, London and the Alfresco Toilet (1889) by Samuel Luke Fildes.

If you are Oriental-typed, and permed, don't think you'll be spared the criticism - would Lieutenant Pinkerton have fallen madly in love with Madama Butterfly if she hadn't looked so deliciously Oriental with her long, black, silky straight hair?


On the right, the original poster of the opera Madama Butterfly by Adolfo Hohenstein, German designer, painter and graphic artist.  The opera was premièred at La Scala in Milan in 1904.

When the musical HAIR was first released in 1968 (see original Broadway poster on the right), Marsha Hunt's hairstyle, called "afro" back in those days (Marsha herself in the small picture) which consisted of long, unkempt, frizzy African hair, was most revolutionary and was a statement of anti-conformism and non-acceptance of the majority's standards, it said "this is what my hair looks like and I am proud to wear it as it is".  It was much imitated by European-typed girls - and boys - lucky enough to have similar hair...was it all in vain?

By now, it goes without saying, the issue goes farther than African-typed girls with straight hair - it relates to all women who want to make the best of their looks, which in itself is fair enough and is what we mostly discuss in this page by suggesting fashions that aren't just fashionable, but intended to make you look great...so, ladies, let us stop wanting to be someone else, but rather enhance our strong points.

The woman of today should be, above all, her very own woman, as we've said before...

Now, read on for Regina's comments...

The second edition of BYHAND will be held at Palazzo Bertalazone di San Fermo, opening this Friday - it will be on for three days.  You'll be able to view the work of some thirty artists from various parts of the world on the theme of "The Journey", that is to say work inspired by and during travels, often combining styles and materials from the countries visited.  The location of Palazzo Bertalazone di San Fermo in Torino is Via S. Francesco d'Assisi 14.  The opening night will also host a performance by artist Ina Nikolic, originally a fashion designer now using fashion as an artistic instrument - she also creates theatrical costumes for Den Norsk Opera and Ballet of Oslo in Norway.  What follows is my pick of art and design in clothes and accessories with few comments, for what I chose is obviously what I liked best.  The above photographs are of a hand-sewn jacket by Antonio Rizza, made entirely with elastics, which is the official image of the event.

The beautiful artwork on the left was created by Floris Filiformis - the red and green jacket is a creation by CHIARINDI, who believe, quite rightly, that material dictates shape.

The gray scarf  is by Mami Kawai, Tokyo artist now living in Rome, who uses natural fibers and dyes found in her travels to create unique pieces - the jacket is the work of INDALIA, a marriage of fabrics from Asia and Italy.

The handbag is from the collection of Guglielmo Musitelli and the shirt detail in fine, natural cloth is the creation of Sabine Schomber, living and working in Rome.

A couple of works from the ART section of the exhibition: on the left by CAIRA Design and, right, Agnese Gemetto, whose touched-up fashion images create creatures of fantasy.

Let us now take a final look at jewelry items - there is so much to show you, it has been hard for me to make a choice, I think you'd better see for yourself, if you are in Torino at the week-end...

Necklace and earrings by Laura Lombardi

Jewels/Sculptures by Mio Tokida, Japanese artist from New York