Heels on Exhibition

You might not know that tomorrow Castello Sforzesco in Vigevano opens the exhibition "The Stiletto heel: charm and seduction". Even for those who aren't maniac like us, it could be an opportunity to visit the Castle, the Pinacoteca and the permanent exhibition of the International Museum of Footwear "P. Bertolini", the only Italian public institution dedicated to the history of most famous Made in Italy object.
The exhibition has already been widely echoed in the press and blogosphere, here, here, here, here, here, and also here, but there are many other links, in fact the topic has become a cult at all levels.
Nobody, it seems, has mentioned the exhibition web site, with some nice pictures, such as Sofia Loren with Ferragamo, and some models like this here by Louboutin.
The exhibition remains open until May 25th, maybe I'll pay a visit.

The Devil wears Prada and dates Vatican real estate guy

They are the couple of the day, beautiful, rich and famous. She, Anne Hathaway, 24 years next November 12th, already a teen age idol in Princess Diaries, became a celebrity after Brokeback Mountain and then a real star acting with Meryl Streep in the last movie about fashion world. He, Raffaello Follieri, 28, was born in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy (the famous Holy Padre Pio home town) and is the head with his father Pasquale of a real estate group based in Park Avenue New York City, in charge of reselling buildings owned by the Catholic Church in America, thanks to solid connections with Vatican top officials and famous yet sometimes embarassing friendships.
There is enough to feed intercontinental paparazzi for a while, it sounds like the story of Stefano Ricucci and Anna Falchi, let's hope that, thanks God, this is not ending so badly... In the picture, the two are taking part in a charity funded by the Follieri Group in Nicaragua.
Anyway she's delicious and in The Devil Wears Prada, inspired by the character of US Vogue chief editor Anne Wintour, is perfect as the boss assistant, a ugly duckling who becomes swan and then flies away. The story is a little unoriginal but funny, and if not else there are a lot of beautiful shoes.

Vivienne Westwood Shoes 1973-2006 on exhibit in Vigevano

On September 16th, “Vivienne Westwood Shoes 1973-2006” was opened in Vigevano Sforzesco Castle. This retrospective, edited by Luca Beatrice and Matteo Guarnaccia, celebrates the genius of the British designer, an anarchical interpreter of the creation of symbol objects: the shoes. The exhibition travels over again her exceptional career main stages, going back to the punk origins in 1973 with the launch of the Sex Pistols, and introducing the models that dictated along the years the rules of a new style. The exhibition plays on the parallelism between the charismatic Duchess Beatrice d'Este, historical figure of the Lombardic town, and the Westwood, one of the most applauded and controversial designers of these days. A link that starts from the "Pianella" flat shoe displayed in the local Footwear Museum, belonging to the first one, in order to arrive to breathtaking and by now most famous model Super Elevated Gillie by the second one, in charge of Naomi Campbell's memorable fall during a catwalk show. The exhibition will remain opened until November 19th 2006.

Italy Four Times World Champion!

Yes we made it! The Italian team won its fourth final out of six played so far. Only Brazil now has a better score. Somebody would say that France played better, and maybe it's true, but we deserved the Cup for the way we played the previous games, especially against Germany. The semifinal between France and Portugal was a boring game, won by a small penalty against a poor team. Which image will stay as a symbol of the italian victory? Maybe that of Fabio Grosso, the humble defender coming from a minor league and now become a worldwide famous football star, or that of the unsurpassable Cannavaro raising the Cup. But I chose that one of the Zidane headbutt, maybe better representing this dramatic and bitter match, ended with penalties. Whatever Materazzi said, that was the worst way for Zizou to end a great career.

Italian Elections II: Three Bridges

Easter, Liberation Day, First of May, three part-time weeks with infraweekly celebrations. Berlusconi wants to recount the cards one by one. In the meanwhile D'Alema and Bertinotti litigate for a seat. We are a little suspended on the greenish water in a foggy day, like on the Three Bridges of Comacchio, trying to find a way out. Good Vacations for those who can.

Italian Elections: Prodi Wins Kicking Penalties

I understand that it can seem strange to find a political comment on a niche footwear blog like this, but there it is. After all STYLETTOS Italy is an Italian web site, so you can't be silent when all, really all, are saying theirs. Blogosphere rumors give a measure of the mess where Italy is lying. After the violent tricky electoral campaign orchestrated by the Right, last night we reached the paroxysm, and at 3am we still had to stand made up figures, victory claims, threats and proposals of compromise. Then today, after forty years, also the supergodfather Bernardo Provenzano dulled out from the cylinder hat.
But in the end Prodi made it. It's not exactly the luminous dawn that everybody expected, today the sky is gray no more and no less than yesterday. Left should reflect first of all about its inadequacy: if you want to rule the country, you must have the courage to transform a kind of mercenary army in a serious and unitarian political proposal. Start from this victory after penalties to defuse Berlusconi's soft dictatorship and relaunch Italy. But before I would still place the matter of restoring a fair, simple and effective electoral system, instead of this kind of Russian Roulette, invented by the usual tricky christian-democrats, and accepted with tightened teeth by all the opportunists among Right and Left.
Personally I never digested the result of the majority system referendum in 1999, won by 90%, but invalidated for a fist of ballots. No French double turn or German proportional system, but majority sistem with single card and proportional correction. The small parties' nomenklatura would say that it is a step behind, but in my opinion it is from here that the Democratic Party will have to commence.

A True Italian Story

Sorry for the Berlusconi-like title, nothing in common. After four years maybe it's time to make a little history and a summary of this meritorious activity. Around year 2001, using my skill and experience in CAD, I started designing the first pair of slip-on shoes. It was just for hobby, but in the end they looked cool to me, so I decided to publish them, and then this web site was set up since may 2002. Due to the remarkable success, I was convinced that there could be a market, and by the end of 2003 I prepared a collection of samples of boots and pumps, thanks to a firm from Parabiago (nearby Milan), which, after some insistence, sent me the goods "on one's word". You can see these gorgeous models on the cover from my home page. Unfortunately the first customer, this not Italian but Mexican, turned out to be a professional swindler and paid with a check that in the end proved to be false.

Although I keep receiving e-mails asking how to order these shoes, I could never sell a pair via Internet, nor find a shop or a distributor seriously interested in retailing them. I sold the remaining pairs to friends and relatives. The firm that produced the samples, by unanimous consent of excellent quality, was owned by Finpart financial group (holding brands like Cerruti, Frette, Moncler, Marina Yachting, Andrea Pfister and Colette). This holding went recently bankrupt, leaving a hundreds million gap, with accusations of rigging the market and fraudulent bankruptcy, and dragged in the storm also the Banca Popolare of Intra, that "generously" lavished its subscribers' money to knit the accounts. Probably those qualified craftsmen that made my shoes (which however I regularly paid for) are now unemployed. The usual "tricky guys of the neighbourhood" made other innocent victims. Another well known story, a true Italian story.