Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani the 80 year old Italian fashion designer has been profiled by Christina Patterson in an article published in The Independent titled ‘Valentino Garavani: The man who turned fashion into an art form’. Patterson states “Audrey Hepburn wore them. Elizabeth Taylor wore them. So did Grace Kelly and Jackie O. …anyone who was anyone, and who was beautiful, and glamorous, and famous, and chic, wore Valentino clothes. And the clothes, it seems, weren’t just clothes. The clothes, it seems, from the way they’ve been displayed, in a new exhibition marking the 50-year career of Valentino Garavani, were art. …Sometimes, it’s just in the cut, but it isn’t “just” a cut, because the cut, like a line in a Picasso, is the mark of the master’s art. Sometimes, it’s in the beadwork, or the edging, or the stitching of a piece of cord. Sometimes, it’s in a piece of silk that’s been cut to make a rose. When you leave the gallery, and go into the room that has cabinets showing close-up examples of the craft, it almost makes you gasp. It makes you think of those medieval artists who carved whole worlds on tiny bits of ivory. It is art. Even to me, it’s art. …a wedding dress that was made for Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. The dress, apparently, took 25 seamstresses four months. Like, perhaps, the dresses of Marie-Antoinette. But at least the seamstresses are called seamstresses. What Valentino calls his seamstresses (or used to, before he sold the business on) is “le ragazze”. “Le ragazze” means “the girls”. It must be quite strange to be a 60-year old woman and called a “girl”. It must make you think of those Brits who called their adult male African servants “boy”. “To dress stars or empresses is very pleasant,” says Valentino, “because their concept of high fashion remains so pure.” He isn’t joking. He really seems to think that the world he displays, of money, celebrity, flattery, name-dropping, and, of course, an all-consuming obsession with appearance, is something to flaunt.”

Inspired by Christina Patterson ow.ly/gpQnf image source Georges Biard ow.ly/gpQm2

Giorgio Armani the 76 year old Italian fashion designer has vented scorn on one of his rivals top-selling fashion house Prada, as the company made its Hong Kong stock exchange debut. Armani tore into 62 year old Miuccia Prada with a venomous attack declaring  she had ”chosen the path of irony and of the bad taste that pleases”. Armani implied Prada stages shows that are ”baracconate”, a highly offensive Italian term implying tackiness and improvision; claiming Prada is beholden to the banks for debt incurred building up the brand, resulting in bad taste that becomes chic. Tensions between rivals in the fashion industry are not uncommon, Armani was involved in another spat two years earlier with Dolce & Gabbana accusing the duo of plagiarism over a pair of quilted trousers.

Inspired by WorldCrunch http://ow.ly/5rNaj image source Jan Schroeder http://ow.ly/5rN8T