Made in Italy Prelims-Sixties NEW_Made in Italy Grid 19/06/2013 16:22 Page 49
Drawing by Roberto Capucci of a dress dedicated to G.B. Giorgini, 2001 Giorgini Archive, Florence
Dress and cloak by Roberto Capucci in Bellezza, September 1952, p.51 Photo: Interfoto
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THE POST-WAR PERIOD and FIFTIES ITALIAN FASHION JEWELLERY
in sleek and simple models, the outcome of artistic
to Rome and then to Milan. By the early 1970s both
craftsmanship that had already become successful
sectors had become concentrated in Milan, a modern
abroad (Ferragamo’s shoes, Pucci’s outfits, handbags
and efficient industrial city with thousands of small/
by Roberta di Camerino, Gucci leather goods…).
medium companies. As a place of innovation in a wide
However, it is likely that buyers and the foreign press
variety of fields, this metropolitan area became Italy’s
were not attracted only by the products, but also by
most important industrial and manufacturing hub.
the allure and aristocratic manners of their creators, among whom representatives of Italian nobility such
As far as fashion jewellery is concerned, each region in
as Marquis Emilio Pucci, Baroness Clarette Gallotti
Italy contributed something: Milan offered factories
(Tessitrice dell’Isola), Marquise Olga di Gresy (Mirsa),
for mass production (Calestani being the most
Princess Giovanna Caracciolo Ginetti (Carosa),
important); Turin, Bologna and Florence were faithful
Simonetta Colonna di Cesarò, who married Gaio
to their tradition of crafts workshops where new
Visconti di Modrone (Simonetta), and members of the
trends were created (Turin) or artisans were inspired
wealthy industrial bourgeoisie of northern Italy such
by antique jewellery (Bologna and Florence); Venice
as Elvira Leonardi Bouyeure (Biki) and Giuliana Coen
was the homeland of lowcost beads and pierced glass
Camerino (Roberta di Camerino) stood out. With the
beads. Campoligure and Florence were known for
fashions shows staged at the Palazzo Pitti and the
their filigree work, while Torre del Greco has
parties organized simultaneously in the palaces of
traditionally been the source of cameos and coral with
Florence, furnished with antiques and old paintings,
its wide variety of workmanship techniques. In the
Giorgini gave foreign visitors a taste of the city’s
early 1950s the group of Italian designers and
atmosphere, marked by art and Renaissance culture.
producers of fashion jewellery already famous abroad
The masterly rendering of the products on show
grew to include Emma Caimi Pellini, Ornella and Canesi
evoked the artisans and botteghe (workshops) of
from Milan, Bijoux Elfe and Cascio from Florence,
yore, established to serve the local lords. Giorgini’s
Borbonese from Turin, and Myricae from Rome.
initiative was far more successful than expected and, under his guidance, it was repeated twice a year until
Moreover, the low cost of Italian labour made it
1965, attracting foreign buyers and journalists, who
possible to invest hours and hours of work in making
began to consider the Italian rendezvous a must for
clothing with a touch of modernity (boutique
their profession as fashion experts.
fashion), using quality fabrics and paying close attention to the cut; as well as the production of
Also in 1951, the 9th Milan Triennale devoted a section
accessories that combined flair, imagination, colour
to industrial design for the very first time with the
and humour. This combination of clothing and
exhibition entitled ‘La forma dell’utile’ (The shape of
accessories perfectly catered to the casual and
usefulness). Fashion and design (one of the highest
informal American lifestyle. Consequently, the figures
expressions of the national culture) are Italy’s two
for the export of these items to the United States are
most widely exported “products”. The fashion
unsurprising: in 1951 sales came to 600 million lire, a
industry, originally established in Florence, moved first
considerable sum for the era.3
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Dress by Maria Antonelli Rome, 1951 Giorgini Archive, Florence
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THE CONSECRATION OF ITALIAN FASHION JEWELLERY IN THE SIXTIES
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THE CONSECRATION OF ITALIAN FASHION JEWELLERY IN THE SIXTIES
Necklace and slave bangle/cuff Meru, Italy, 1969 Brushed steel sheet cut and bent by hand (The bangle can be seen opposite; the necklace was also photographed by Gian Paolo Barbieri for the same shoot for Linea Italiana, May 1969, p.120)
Cole of California swimsuit in Helanea Lycra; slave bangle in Linea Italiana, May 1969, p.119 Model: Mirella Petteni Photo: Gian Paolo Barbieri
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THE SEVENTIES and THE BIRTH OF “MADE IN ITALY” FASHION
“Image as a project, fashion as anthropological design
plastic, with shiny and glacial findings in chrome, or
is the style of the architect Gianfranco Ferré ... He
bright and coloured enamel surfaces, as disconnected
himself says ‘I am very proud of my architectural
from everyday life as the surface of the moon, which
training, of my analytical and logical method that
had become familiar because of space missions. The
teaches how to educate creativity’.”
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main protagonist of this style was Cascio in Florence. After years dedicated to the imitation of fine jewellery,
In September 1978 Gianni Versace made his debut in
in the ’70s this company found its way by adopting a
men’s fashion, with a show in his atelier in Via della
geometric and abstract style for its creations.
Spiga. Enrico Coveri, another young talent of Italian fashion, chose Paris for his debut. In November 1978
The second trend to emerge resulted from a return to
Giorgio Armani signed a contract with the Textile
the styles of the first quarter of the twentieth
Financial Group (TFGFacis, Cori, Sidi, Marus), to which
century: the naturalistic flowing forms of Art Nouveau
he entrusted the production of his collections.
and the geometric shapes of Art Déco were reflected in the subjects of fashion jewellery, though made in
By the ’70s, fashion jewels had become less popular,
much larger dimensions.
perhaps because, from a feminist point of view, they were considered external symbols of a dated,
The geometric and modern trend, clearly inspired by
restricted femininity. Instead, the focus turned more
the French fashion, went well with luxury prêtà
to other accessories: the first shoes with heels set
porter clothes, while the revival of the past could be
with stones, buttons and buckles paved with
coupled with the colourful clothing of young people,
rhinestones, while complicated hair ornaments
characterised by flowing and drooping lines of light
completed very elaborated hairdos.
fabrics falling to the feet, but also by miniskirts that continued to please women despite having been in
In comparison to the sixties, in Italy and in the rest of
vogue for a good number of years.
the Western world the volume of real and fashion jewellery production decreased, in part at least
Young people wore anything, as long as it cost little
because of the atmosphere of fear caused by frequent
and was not ordinary. In clothing, tailored or mass
acts of terrorism, which meant people went out less
produced, it was a case of anything goes, from hot
often and, therefore, were less likely to dress up.
pants to puffed shorts like those for children, from masculinecut tailored suits for career women –
Two main trends emerged. On the one hand,
doublebreasted jacket and trousers, softened by long
influenced by artist’s jewellery from the ’50s, which
chains interspersed with golden beads – to the
were quite popular among upperclass women,
provocation of punks, young people with a tendency
geometric ornaments prevailed: simple and modern,
to nihilistic protest boasting Mohawk hairdos dyed in
technological and emotionally cold, often made of
bright colours, pierced with studs and safety pins, and
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Advertisement for Bijoux Bozart in Linea Italiana Alta Moda, S/S 1970, unnumbered page Photo: Alfredo Pratelli
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THE SEVENTIES and THE BIRTH OF “MADE IN ITALY” FASHION
sporting antisystem slogans on their Tshirts. Genres
a hybrid of the “nude” look and the “topless” style
were mixed and intersected, creating unisex style:
launched in 1964 by Austrianborn designer Rudi
men too, for the first time in the history of the 20th
Gernreich, who lived in America.
century, timidly began to use gems and jewellery, especially long necklaces.
In Milan from the late ’60s, new companies had begun to assert themselves in the field of fashion
The ornaments that accompanied these varied
jewellery: for example Sharra Pagano, who created
modes of dress were made of a plethora of
many of the jewellery pieces for Giorgio Armani;
materials: plastic, ceramic, enamel, anodized
Donatella Pellini, who inherited the business from her
aluminium, titanium, natural and dyed leather, rope
mother Carla, who in turn had inherited it from her
threads strung in the technique of macramé with
mother Emma Caimi; Merù, a small shop in Via
inclusions of glass beads and many chains, thin and
Solferino for fashion and fine jewellery for young
light, often ending with charms. In many fashion
people, with avantgarde shapes, inspired by abstract
jewellery pieces there was a combination of
art; and Ugo Correani, who manufactured jewellery
elements: both shiny and matt surfaces, gold or
pieces designed by Walter Albini and by Gianfranco
silver coloured, embedded into each other with
Ferré (for Albini and for his own Gianfranco Ferré
screw mechanisms. Sometimes several metal chains
brand). During the second half of the ’70s, Ugo
were mixed with rhinestone chains, strings of pearls
Correani became the favourite creator of jewellery for
and stones woven like fabric gave shape to boleros,
many top fashion designers, both French and Italian,
tops, corsets, miniskirts and minidresses. These were
including Lagerfeld, Versace, Lacroix, and Valentino.
“Bee” brooches set with coloured stones. Made by Cascio for Lancetti in Vogue Italia, September 1971 Photo: Oliviero Toscani
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Choker by Sharra Pagano in Linea Italiana, S/S 1971, p.109 Photo: Jacques Bugat
Made in Italy Nineties NEW_Made in Italy Grid 20/06/2013 10:04 Page 241
Naomi Campbell wears Versace fashion jewellery Designed by Ugo Correani for Gianni Versace in O. Calabrese, Gianni Versace Vanitas, Lo stile dei sensi, Vol. 1, Leonardo Editore, Milan, 1991, p. 194 Photo: Irving Penn Versace Archive, Milan
Made in Italy Nineties NEW_Made in Italy Grid 20/06/2013 10:04 Page 242
THE NINETIES
as the Americans say: from long to short, from soft to
To avoid homogenisation, by the end of the eighties
fluffy, from the fifties to the sixties, tartan shirts like
and then increasingly in the nineties, various fashion
in the old West and Hawaiian flowers, from rugs with
designers transformed catwalk shows into unique
native Indian designs to cowboystyle hats, from
‘happenings’ in order to create a specific identity for
rigorous lines (like in Armani suits) to evanescent and
their own style and to communicate directly with
deconstructed dresses (in the manner of Romeo Gigli
their customers. The shows had become real events,
and Japanese minimalists).
complete with music, lights, decor, perfume, fantastic scenery, endorsements from famous faces… The new
From 1990 to 1994 fashion designers – including
icons of the nineties, top models such as Naomi
Prada, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana – left behind
Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and Linda
anarchy and, through their desire to redefine fashion,
Evangelista – goddesses because of their beauty and
launched new collections that led to a simple and
presence – graced the stage. And in these
sober way of dressing in the second half of the
performances, lasting about half an hour, accessories
decade.
played a starring role.
Fashion designers, not only Italian, sought inspiration
It could be said that the design of the actual clothes
in museums and archives, ideas from paintings and
was reinforced by immaterial elements such as the
frescoes, from Etruscan and Roman findings, and
emotions provoked by these short fashion shows, or
studied Baroque and early 20thcentury aesthetics
by the advertising images that evoked a style, a
with modern eyes.
desirable situation, a virtual dream lived for a few moments…
From this amalgam of historical memory and contemporary taste sprang haute couture collections
Many were conquered by those flashes of unreal life
and luxury readytowear lines. In order to bury the
transmitted by television, an advertising vehicle of
cliché of the eighties outfit jacket, short skirt or
immeasurable value; and they bought the branded
trousers, with ballerina pumps or stilettoes –
designer accessories that symbolised the dream. In
designers looked for new emotions and stimuli in the
doing so they provided a healthy income for the
art movements and trends that had characterised the
designer to offset against the heavy expenditure
last forty years, rather than creating genuine
incurred by the catwalk ‘happenings’. If in the eighties
innovations. Moreover, unlike in the past, when each
the dress was the star in the fashion system, in the
cultural area had its own style typical of that territory,
nineties the signed accessory prevailed. In Italy alone,
during the last decade of the 20th century fashion
the musthave were: the Prada backpack and plastic
trends went global, driven by clever and expensive
bag, Tod’s loafers, and the skilfully worked bags by
advertising campaigns. Products were made available
Fendi and Bottega Veneta.
to buyers from all around the world through e commerce; the internet created a single market, with
In contrast to the hedonism and materialism of the
no real or cultural boundaries.
eighties, in the nineties there was an affirmation of
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THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Collar necklace with floral motif Emilio Cressoni Lake Garda, 2009 Handworked and handcut aluminium, gilded metal findings Private collection
Pair of “pop” bracelets Irene Moret for 2icedesign Milan, 2007 Cotton and latex Made for the exhibition “Street art, sweet art” at the PAC in Milan, 7 March – 25 April, 2007 Photo: Alberto Aliverti Private collection
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“Winter Blackberry” ruff Silvia Beccaria Turin, 2008 Handwoven cotton and neoprene Private collection
Chain necklace Thomas Roberts Milan, 2009 Handworked and brushed 4 mm aluminium rod Private collection, Milan
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