Forte Bravo |
Did you know Ermanno Scervino convinced Kanye West to wed Kim K. at Florence's Forte Belvedere? "It's the most beautiful place in Florence," said the designer, whose own fete at the medieval fortress drew West back to the Italian city yesterday evening. "When I was a kid I used to come here, and the fact that I managed to do something at Forte Belvedere is like a dream come true." Indeed, his party was something out of a New Age fairy tale, but more on that later.
The festivities began with Equilibrium, an enlightening exhibition at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, launched in honor of Firenze: Hometown of Fashion and the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana's sixtieth anniversary. The show featured some of Mr. Ferragamo's archived (and very ahead of their time) shoes from the thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties, but it also explored the designer's expansive anatomical studies of the foot. "Equilibrium is the most important part of the Ferragamo story, but it's not easy to tell because it's so technical," offered the museum's director, Stefania Ricci. To help guests such as Pitti Immagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone grasp the idea, Ricci lined the walls with Ferragamo's detailed drawings. Also included was a giant metal shank, an exaggerated version of the one Ferragamo used to create arch support. This, Ferragamo wrote in his autobiography, guides "the equilibrium of the body as it walks, instead of fighting against it." In addition to the shoes, Ricci brought in artworks—such as ancient Roman sculptures, a Brancusi, a Rodin, and two films by Bruce Nauman—that highlighted the feet and the beauty of balance. "I hope that after this exhibition, people will think about walking in another way," said Ricci.
At 8:30 it was time to cross the Arno River and head to Scervino's extravaganza. A lot of equilibrium was required to navigate the seemingly endless flights of stone stairs, but once guests reached the top, the trek seemed worth it. The likes of Francesco Vezzoli and Franca Sozzani sipped champagne while enjoying breathtaking views of Florence and Il Duomo. And Scervino took advantage of the scenery, using it as the backdrop for a presentation of his capsule collection, dubbed The White Renaissance. The silver, gray, and white menswear range was an ode to Salle Bianca, the birthplace of Italian fashion. There were a few womenswear looks, too. A pair of models donned gowns in dusty rose and icy blue, and the hues blended with a sky painted by the setting sun. It was like the calm before the storm, the storm being the arrival of West, who befriended Scervino after visiting his boutique in Paris. According to designer Virgil Abloh, who accompanied the rapper, the pair had just flown in from Cannes.
Following a prolonged, frenzied photo op, attendees headed down (more) stairs to dinner and enjoyed a three-course meal while listening to a live string quartet. And as if the insane views, historic location, fashion show, and Kanye cameo weren't enough, Boy George hit the decks after dessert, playing to a riotous, albeit very well dressed, crowd. Even Suzy Menkes broke it down on the dance floor. "Firenze: Hometown of Fashion is a celebration of the last sixty years," mused Scervino. "Hopefully this is the start of the next sixty."
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24-Hour Pitti People |
When your evening kicks off with a nude man splayed across a bed of money in a Florentine street, you know you're in for a wild one. Last night, Pitti Uomo-goers skipped between parties and exhibitions scattered across Florence, none of which were to be missed. It all began with the 5 p.m. opening of Francesco Vezzoli's Vezzoli Primavera-Estate, a three-museum installation of the Italian artist's irreverent work. Playing a game of sorts, editors, buyers, and designers explored the ornate rooms of Museo di Casa Martelli, Museo Bellini, and Museo Bardini, trying to spot Vezzoli's paintings and sculptures, which were inserted among those of Renaissance masters. Placed among images of saints and old-world aristocrats, renderings of Nicki Minaj provoked chuckles from more than a few guests, and a shrine surrounding an illuminated self-portrait of the artist seemed the ultimate comment on (and display of) egoismo.
Outside Casa Martelli, painter and performance artist Vaclav Pisvejc produced a very different kind of shrine: He disrobed, lay down atop a heap of (faux) dollar bills, and held out an abstracted portrait of Vezzoli. Regardless of the fashion set's opinions on the stunt, Pisvejc's statement against excess and "The Fabulously Wealthy" (hopefully) gave them something to think about between champagne-fueled fetes.
But it wasn't all bare bums and anticapitalist demonstrations. This season's fair marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana. Pitti has used the occasion to celebrate Florence and five fashion houses with Florentine origins: Emilio Pucci, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermanno Scervino, and Roberto Cavalli. At Palazzo Vecchio—a medieval fortress that serves as the city's town hall—Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani opened Florence & Fashion, a photography show honoring the abovementioned brands. "Italian fashion was born in Florence with the Sala Bianca, and it's important that people know that," said Sozzani. "Of course, today it's about Milan, but it all started here."
Meanwhile, down the road at Palazzo Pucci, Peter Dundas and CEO Laudomia Pucci toasted the brand's impressive installation at—or rather, on—the Baptistery of Piazza San Giovanni. "It's the first time in Florence's history that anyone has done anything like this," offered Pucci of the project. And it's unlikely anyone will do it again—the house covered the Baptistery in more than 20,000 square meters of canvas printed with Pucci's 1957 Battistero motif. Fittingly, the pattern was inspired by the religious landmark. "So many important fashion houses have their roots in Florence," said Dundas at the party, which also featured an exhibition of archived Pucci wares. "It was the capital of Europe, and it has this intense saturation of history. For me and for Emilio Pucci himself, Florence was a source of inspiration."
Just before Giotto's Bell Tower struck 9, it was Gucci time. The house opened its Gucci Museo to the public free of charge yesterday and, at night, hosted a lavish festa. Gucci, too, had a present for Florence: an enchanting light show designed by Mario Nann. The artist projected a poem, "Da Sempre per Sempre," on the museum's exterior. Tourists, locals, and fashion insiders alike gathered in Piazza Della Signoria to ooh, ahh, and, of course, Instagram the display. In fact, Gucci's lights drew almost as many onlookers as our naked artist friend—not quite, but almost.
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Shooting in Key Largo. Swamp Tours in Louisiana? |
While the rest of the world watched yesterday's Brazil-Mexico World Cup game, Coach was busy gearing up for its annual summer party on the High Line. "The World Cup? I haven't watched it once," the brand's creative director, Stuart Vevers, told Style.com, as the likes of Chloë Sevigny, Keri Russell, and Kate Mara arrived. "But I was living in Spain for six years and there was no escaping it there." When surprise guest De La Soul performed later in the evening, it became clear that it is music that enthuses Vevers—he jumped up to join the hip-hop trio onstage. Most guests echoed Vevers' sentiments on soccer, but Chloë Grace Moretz was more spirited about sports talk. "I really want Germany or Brazil to go far," she said. "I'm also really into hockey and basketball right now."
As the sun set, partygoers sipped rosé and conversation drifted toward summer travel plans. "Other than filming in Key Largo, I am headed to Austria because my brother is getting married there this summer," reported Sevigny. "I have no wedding duties except maybe a speech or a toast, which I am already terrified about because his friends from high school are hecklers and those kinds of things always make me nervous." Mara, meanwhile, is busy shooting her project The Fantastic Four on location in Louisiana. "I haven't gotten to explore it too much yet, because as soon as I wrap, I just want to go and be in L.A. with my family and my dogs," she said. "I think I should probably go on a swamp tour or something, right?"
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Little House, Big House |
"We love London, its energy and excitement," said Tommy Hilfiger at a dinner last night that he cohosted with Jonathan Newhouse, chairman of Condé Nast International. The elegant affair, held at Mayfair's Little House, was ostensibly in honor of LC:M, but in fact it's become a seasonal event to celebrate Hilfiger's affection for all things British, especially the U.K.'s preparatory school aesthetic, which of course has been the anchor of his brand.
Jefferson Hack, his girlfriend Tati Cotliar, Philip Green (who at dinner's end rolled out a cake for birthday girl Elizabeth Saltzman), and more discussed the day's LC:M events and how, miraculously, the sched rolled on time. Others were buzzing about the Christopher Kane coat the Duchess of Cambridge wore that day, while new designer David Gandy, ever the gentleman, politely deflected questions about that video with J.Lo.
Also in attendance were Hilfiger's wife, Dee Ocleppo, and daughter Elizabeth, both of whom are in the beginning stages of launching their own fashion empires: Ocleppo has a new line of "3-in-1" premium handbags, which are available at Harrods, while the young Hilfiger whipped out her iPhone to show us pics of her evolving line of ethical clothes: "It's so different from anything my dad does," she said, "but still, I hope this does him proud."
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