You might not
suffer Stendhal's Syndrome, the fainting spells that visitors to
Il Modo Italiano, the new show at the museum, celebrates
There's a funky
little Fiat and the iconic La Mamma chair, swirling, colourful
pop playsuits from Pucci and Olivetti typewriters, Alessi
coffeepots, paintings, installations, posters and sculptures, including a
rather absurd giant bright green cactus that can be used as a coat rack.
Gaetano Pesce,
designer of 1969's La Mamma, said the great Italian artists of the 20th century
transformed themselves with practical art.
"The Leonardos in the 20th century became the Moschinos, Armanis, Versaces - all the names you know. Great art became more
related to expressions like fashion or industrial design.''
Indeed, the words
Italian design conjure up beauty, luxury, sophistication and style - for
objects and for life.
"Most
foreigners endearingly consider Italy the quintessence of style and elegance in
all the categories that represent the Good Life, from clothing and household
objects to food, bicycles, furniture and fancy cars,'' Paola Antonelli, curator
of design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, writes in the catalogue to
the exhibition.
The Gazette took
the opportunity to show contemporary Italian fashion in the museum setting,
although there are just a few items of clothing in the show. They include
Mariano Fortuny's marvellous
pleated "Delphos" gowns from about 1907, three Puccis
and Bruna Bini's silver
cutout Divertissement dress of 1961.
The fashion
represented at the museum is about research into colour
and form, said Gampiero Bosoni,
a curator of the show and professor at the Milan Politecnico.
Italian fashion
itself would require a full show of its own to do it justice, he said.
Still, the world
of fashion that we know so well - Armani, Versace, Prada
and so on - stems from the same artisanal tradition
that took
Giorgio Armani, Bosoni recounted, started out at the
Our notions of
Italian fashion include ideas of high quality, high culture and
cosmopolitanism, as well as youth and joy, says Pamela Grimaud,
a
Grimaud points out there are few
design similarities between, say, Prada, Armani and
Dolce and Gabbana. "Prada
seems to have kind of a wink at the Italian upper-crust, bourgeois culture, but
very playful.
Very simple lines
but also that beautiful use of Italian colour, cut
and quality." Armani, of course, is known for his sleek, understated
elegance, for men and women.
And this spring,
Dolce and Gabbana did a kitschy '50s gingham and lace
farm-girl theme, sexy as always.
That Dolce Vita
notion, with the earthy sexuality of film stars like Gina Lollobrigida
and Sophia Loren, is how we see Italian women in
The Fellini film was a satire, she pointed out. "But to
us, the heck with the satire.
We're so
captivated by it - Three Coins in a Fountain, Audrey Hepburn on a Vespa. It's what we love to think of
The hallmarks of
Italian fashion are somewhat contradictory, she says: with Versace and Dolce
& Gabbana, you have a celebration of sex, youth
and excess. Then there's the quiet elegance and luxury of a soft leather jacket
or Lora Piano cashmere sweater.
There is also a
real confidence with colour in design houses like
Pucci and Etro, Grimaud
says, that comes from centuries of dexterity with art.
Emilio Pucci was
in the right place at the right time, dressing the international jet set in his
distinctive bright designs. Two 1957 playsuits in the show belonged to Lauren Bacall.
As for men,
Armani - who took the guts out of the jacket - brought to the American public a
louche elegance that was possible for Italian men.
"There was a real comfort in presenting yourself as someone who can be
looked at," Grimaud said.
Armani also
helped pave the way for the ascension of American sportswear giants like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein, she says.
"Americans
had a natural affinity for a way of dressing and seeing themselves as being
young, sporty and without the pretensions you think of with French
couture."
An exuberance was
infused into Italian art, especially in the '50s and '60s, Grimaud
says. The postwar economic miracle that transformed
To Pesce, the essence of Italian design is that there is no
separation among types of artistic expression.
"In
Guy Cogeval, director of the MMFA, agreed. There is no single
design museum in the country because design is everywhere, he said. That made
the museum's job difficult: to collect objects for the show, curators had to
visit each creator's archives.
"It's part
of the culture,'' Cogeval said.
"There is no
museum of architecture in
efriede@thegazette.canwest.com
Il Modo Italiano runs at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
until Aug. 27. The museum has new hours, now including openings Thursday and
Friday evenings. Visit mmfa.qc.ca for more information.
ITALIAN
DESIGNERS, A TO Z:
Armani, Giorgio.
Born in 1934, the designer launched his own collection in 1974 and
revolutionized men's and women's fashion, deconstructing the suit, dressing
Richard Gere in American Gigolo and discovering the
star power of
Cavalli, Roberto. High glamour in
gowns, lots of animal prints and extravagantly decorated denim from this
designer, who showed his first collection in 1972 and this year was sentenced
to jail for tax evasion. A favourite of the
Dolce and Gabbana. The design team of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who just celebrated 20 years in business together,
celebrate sex, romance and the female form. Known for corset tops and dresses,
as well as full skirts, floral patterns and sharp tailoring.
Fendi. The house founded by
Adele Fendi in 1918 is known for its furs and
leathers, particularly the popular baguette bag that ushered in the era of
"it" bags in the '90s. Its ready-to-wear clothing is now designed by
Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel.
Gucci. Started as
a saddlery in
Missoni. The company founded in
1953 makes knitwear with distinctive zigzag patterns.
Moschino, Franco. 1950-94. Whimsy,
colour and provocative designs are the hallmarks of
this popular design house.
Prada, Miuccia.
Born in 1949, she is the high priestess of Italian fashion, having steered her
family's leather company, founded in 1913, to the top of the fashion world. She
introduced light nylon handbags and clothing, and uses colour
and form in surprising ways. Wildly influential and copied.
Pucci, Emilio.
1914-92. Born a marchese, Pucci dressed the
international jet set in colourful pop prints.
Versace, Gianni.
1946-1997. Acknowledged as a brilliant, audacious designer, Versace was gunned
down in
Zegna. The maker of fine men's
suits from its mills in Trivero uses super-fine wool,
so light that it feels like silk.