JOIN USThe much-talked about exhibition in the City, ‘Italia comes to you’ recently went one step ahead by showcasing the personal collection of dresses owned by Italian designer Mara Parmegiani at the fashion show titled ‘Be cool in Italy’.
There was a high curiosity among the fashionista at Jayamahal Palace Hotel about what to expect. What was finally seen by the audience was nothing short of spectacular. From pretty cocktail dresses to satin corsets worn with trousers to glittery, evening gowns – styles spanning the bold to the beautiful were seen.
An interesting format was used – montages of the best scenes from signature Italian films like La Dolce Vita, ‘Roman Holiday’ and Ginger e Fred were screened, after which the models displayed the Italian dresses from that decade.
“We wanted to give India a glimpse of the best of Italian fashion through dresses done by our most famous designers like Versace, Armani, Fontana, Fabiani and Valentino. The moving pictures help to put the dresses in the context they’re supposed to be seen in,” says Mara Parmegiani, the lady behind the collection.
The audience also witnessed the original black dress worn by Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita as well as dresses worn by actress Silvana Pampanini in her films. One of the most gorgeous outfits seen during the evening was the wedding dress designed by Egon Furstemberg, which was stunning in both its fall and finesse.
“It was a really good collection. The 50s to 90s of Italian cinema and fashion were captured very well. It was also really cool to see the original dresses from some of the films,” shares Sushmita, an audience member.
One thing that everyone seemed to compliment was the craftsmanship and techniques used by the Italians in their outfits – from floral inserts and slits to pintuck and frills. The heels and jewellery were also well matched with the outfits.
Fashion guru Prasad
Bidapa was also present at the show and shared his opinion on the collection.
“It was a beautiful period clothes and it was interesting to see the superb tailoring
of the Italians. But I felt that the Indian models were a little too short, but sweet,” he notes.