Backstage: Antonio Marras Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection. “I would like to dedicate this collection to my mother. If not now, when? My mother, who embodies all women. From Nannina to Nannarella.”
Antonio Marras. “On Sardinia, a matriarchal island, women represent stability, certainty, permanent values. The idea of a mother is radically reformulated in the culture of Sardinia. More than a woman and a mother, she embodies belonging, having roots in a place, the land, the home. She is the nourisher, guardian of the past and overseer of the present.”
Backstage: Antonio Marras. Antonio Marras is interviewed in front of the mood board. The collection is dedicated to his Mamma. The red lips are a tribute to the bright red lipstick she still wears today.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. “And, on the day I first went to see a film, The Miracle of Marcelino at the parish cinema, my mother wore a floral dress. I still cherish the memory.”
Backstage: Antonio Marras. Chuncky, shrunken crochet sweaters.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. “My mother together with a seamstress, her loyal ally, recycles and remodels men’s old coats to turn them into elegant skirt suits.”
Backstage: Antonio Marras. Sailor suit inspired knitwear, the white starched collars are reminiscent of the white collars on Italian black school smocks.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. VIP hair stylist Eugene Souleiman, visible from afar for his inseparable bowler hat describes the hairstyle “The hair is very chic and elegant and has an almost masculine quality in the front and a romantic chignon at the back.”
Backstage: Antonio Marras. The hairstyle.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. A herringbone tweed hound’s-tooth jacket is re-restructured and embellished with sequins and feathers.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. VIP make-up artist Lisa Butler created the make-up using M.A.C. PRO products.
Backstage: Antonio Marras. The make-up is minimal, Lisa Butler used no foundation or powder just concealer on the face. The emphasis is on the lips where she used two colors, a classic bright red on the upper lip and a bright orange on the lower lip, which was extended to give the impression of a smile.
“My mother in her Sunday best and holding a crocodile handbag, with a pale face and red, red lipstick as she leaves church after mass.”
Antonio Marras. “She is very elegant on my first day at school. She, the loveliest of all, and me in a black school smock with a white starched collar; I was terrified, and intoxicated by her perfume.”