Piccole Mani

“In Italy Milan is the home of prêt-à-porter and Rome is the home of haute couture because houses sprung up in the 50s,” explained Maria Grazia Chiuri, when asked about the main difference between working in Milan and Rome.  “For so long, Milan was at the centre of fashion because of the industry but now we start… Continue reading Piccole Mani

Mirabilia Romae

“Mr Valentino painted the first picture of the landscape.  Then we arrived and started to paint the same landscape from a different angle and a different light.  The landscape is still the same but the picture has somehow changed.”  That’s how Pierpaolo Piccioli so eloquently and succinctly described how he and Maria Grazia Chiuri have jointly… Continue reading Mirabilia Romae

Through the Chinese Looking Glass

I went into the China: Through the Looking Glass exhibition at the Met last week whilst in New York with fairly low expectations, because I had pre-show suspicions that the theme had been shoe-horned in to appeal to tourists (lowered still by the lukewarm-ish reviews of the show).  Of course though, my own cultural background… Continue reading Through the Chinese Looking Glass