Thursday, February 28, 2013

Milan: MFW – Corso Como 10 and Galleria Carla Sozzani - Alfa Castaldi - Anna Piaggi - Chloe Edition Anniversaire



 Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

Milan: MFW – Corso Como 10 and Galleria Carla Sozzani celebrate Alfa Castaldi, Anna Piaggi and Chloe Edition Anniversaire.  Upstairs in the Galleria Carla Sozzani an extensive retrospective of the photographer Alfa Castaldi, until March 30th. Whilst downstairs in the Corso Como 10 concept store, a cocktail party was held for the late Anna Piaggi and Chloe Edition Anniversaire event for a re-edition of a selection of sixteen emblematic pieces from the French fashion house, which celebrates it’s sixtieth birthday. The pop-up section features Anna Piaggi style statement signature pieces alongside illustrations by Antonio Lopez and photographs by Anna’s husband Alfa Castaldi.
Above: Anna Piaggi.


  Galleria Carla Sozzani – Alfa Castaldi.   Brilliant and Milanese, Alfa Castaldi was always seen as the sophisticated intellectual, the observer, the outsider when he sat with Ugo Mulas and Carlo Bavagnoli and the other artists and writers in the hot bed of intellectualism that burned at Bar Jamaica in the ‘50’s, where his first photographs were taken. 
Above: Alfa Castaldi self Portrait – 1975.

 
Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

Bar Jamaica – 1956

 Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

Moda – Firenze – 1958


Alfa Castaldi. Clearly destined for a career in the arts, he abandoned the traditional mediums to begin a lifelong exploration of photography. Taking his critical eye to Paris, London, Algeria and around Italy, he devoted himself to reportage. However, when he returned to Milan, he met Anna Piaggi, a feature writer for Vogue.   Anna encouraged him to use the vehicle of the fashion photograph as another means to explore his aesthetic vision. They were married in 1962 and their partnership would endure until Castaldi’s death in 1995.
 Above. Anna Piaggi – 1986.

 Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

 La Machine a Manger Les Huitres – Milano - 1972

 
Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

Alfa Castaldi. In the 80’s his shots for “Compagnia di Stile Popolare” convey both the fashion and analysis of the history of fashion for L’Uomo Vogue in an almost academic style unseen until Castaldi.
Above. Compagnia di Stile Popolare – Sardegna - 1980.
 
Photograph courtesy Galleria Carla Sozzani

Alfa Castaldi. His curiosity and need to understand the causes, as much as the results of things, has Castaldi going for “behind the scenes” reportage. From the inside, he is as likely to shoot the designers as the dresses, and his body of work, and more importantly his friendships, are reflected in the intimate portraits of Karl Lagerfeld, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Andrea Branzi, Michele De Lucchi, the Fendi sisters, Gianfranco Ferre, Ettore Sottsass and many others.
Above.  GFT – Torino - 1983.

 
Alfa Castaldi. But his most enduring friendship was the one he shared with Anna Piaggi. The trust and fierce support they gave to each other is seen in this series of unknown, intimate photographs Castaldi took of Piaggi.
Above. Entomologia – Mugler  - Vogue D.P. – Milano – 1991.

 
 Geoffroy de La Bourdonnaye, CEO of Chloé and Carla Sozzani
 
 

Corso Como 10 – Chloe Edition Anniversaire.  A cocktail party was held in the Corso Como 10 concept store to commemorate the late Anna Piaggi and Chloe Edition Anniversaire. To mark the 60th anniversary celebrations, Chloé has re-issued sixteen of the archive’s most iconic pieces, which will be available at Corso Como 10.
 
A Chloe duck print silk cape with photos of Anna Piaggi wearing it in the background.


 Anna Piaggi wears Chloe


 
Corso Como 10. The Chloe Edition Anniversaire includes items such as Karl Lagerfeld’s Violin Dress of Spring/Summer 1983, Stella McCartney’s pineapple T-shirt of Spring/Summer 2001, the Paddington Bag introduced by Phoebe Philo in Spring/Summer 2005 and the cape and leather shorts by Hannah MacGibbon of Autumn/Winter 2009. 

 
 Paolo Castaldi


Corso Como 10. A section of the pop-up section of the Anna Piaggi Chloe Edition Anniversaire which includes drawings by Antonio Lopez and photographs of Anna Piaggi wearing Chloe by Alfa Castaldi.


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