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.