So, here is the complete calendar of the presentations:

Saturday 16th January 2010
WOOLRICH 10-19 Via Lombradini, 20
CESARE PACIOTTI 14-18 Via Sant’Andrea, 8
HAUTE 14-18 Via Sant’Andrea, 12
TRUSSARDI 1911 14-20 Piazza Scala, 5
FABIO INGHIRAMI 14.30-18 Corso Di Porta Romana, 3

Sunday 17th January 2010
ROY ROGER’S PRESIDENT’S 11-19 Via Sannio, 20
MALO 16-20 Via Archimede, 26

Monday 18th January 2010
AQUASCUTUM 9-14 Viale Luigi Majno, 17
BALLANTYNE 9-18 Corso Italia, 49
VALEXTRA 9-18 Via Manzoni, 3 – 1st floor
FRATELLI ROSSETTI 10-16 Piazza San Carlo, 2
BALLY 10-18 Via Bigli, 11/A
CAR SHOE 10-19 Via Spiga, 1
CHURCH’S 10-19 Via Borgonuovo, 16
LARDINI 11-18 Via Spiga, 48
MASSIMO SFORZA 11-20 Via Sant’Andrea, 3 – 3rd floor
FURLA MEN 11-19 Via Sant’Andrea, 18
ALBERTO GUARDIANI 12-18 Corso Venezia, 29
WOOLRICH WOOLEN MILLS 12-19 Corso Buenos Aires, 2
MOSCHINO MEN 12-17 Via San Gregorio, 28
CARUSO (FOR PRESS ONLY) 13-19 Via Rezia, 2°
GALLIANO 17-21 Via Sant’Andrea, 6
ROBERTO BIAGINI 17-21 Via Induno, 1
BRIONI 18-21 Via Gesù, 4

Tuesday 19th January 2010
BLACK FLEECE BY BROOKS BROTHERS 14-17 Corso Como, 10
MESSORI 14-18 Via Decembrio, 28

Italian version

How does the career of a shoe master begin?
As all things that are important, I also began designing shoes by chance. When I was young I wanted to become a set designer. I was literally in love with Visconti’s films and, especially, with the costumes. In 1971, through some friends from New York, I managed to submit my sketches to Diana Vreeland, the then news editor of American Vogue. She didn’t have a positive opinion of the costumes, but she was fascinated by the shoes. So she suggested me focus on the accessorize.
I followed her advice and here I am.
Anyway, the cinema is always in my heart.
My last collaboration was with Sofia Coppola, for hers Marie Antoinette.

But the “Manolo”, as they are called by the fashion victims, were born only a year later…
Yes. Bacj in London, in 1972, I met Ossie Clark with whom I created my first collection. I remember my dreadful first official issue. I made a shoe using 118 cm of silk and the outcome was awful. The models staggered on the heels, and I was convinced that that would be my first and last collection. Instead, the public and the press were very enthusiastic defining it a “very sexy pace”. I worked for some time with Clark and the shoe we designed together with cherry patterns is, up to know, still my best seller.

You experimented a lot with materials…
I am convinced that anything can be turned into a shoe. Year ago I used titanium, it was very pretty but it made the shoe impossible to wear, it was too heavy. I also had lots of fun while creating an ivory shoe. It retrieved the shape of a Greek column and it closed with chiffon…it was amazing but we sold only four pairs. I also remember a PVC stiletto encrusted with golden stones, created on purpose for the coronation of a beauty pageant winner.

Do shoes need to make a woman look sexy or to make her walk in comfort?
Obviously comfort comes first. Thanks to the skilful Italian craftsmen that make my shoes I managed to produce sexy shoes, with very high heels and comfortable at the same time.

How do you create “Manolo”?
My collections have always been hand-made, because I can’t use computers. Then I send my sketches to the model-makers and they turn them into shoes. I have an average of 300 samples per season, of which only 100 are put on sale. In order to satisfy the taste of all our clients throughout the world we keep the models and change the colours.

What is it that you really don’t like?
Definitely wedges, I find women with platforms not pretty. And I don’t like men shoes. I find them boring. I myself wear the booties that remind of the XVIII and XIV centuries shoes: they are priceless.

To conclude, a compulsory question: will Carrie be able to buy again a pair of Manolo after they have been stolen in a cult episode of the TV show Sex and the City?
I am sorry, but I don’t know it…I don’t watch that kind of TV shows.

Alessandra Iannello

Italian version

From 16 to 19 January 2010, the Italian fashion capital will host the Milan Men’s Fashion edition, dedicated to autumn-winter 2010-2011 collections.
Either coloured or black&white, casual or elegant, accessories or minimal look, four days to discover all the previews dedicated to men.

Here the calendar of fashion shows:
Saturday, 16 January 2010
09,30 CARLO PIGNATELLI OUTSIDE – Via Turati, 34
10,30 ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA STAMPA – Via Savona, 56 A
11,15 ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA BUYER – Via Savona, 56 A
12,00 C.P. COMPANY – Via Savona, 54
13,00 COSTUME NATIONAL HOMME – Via Tortona, 58
15,00 JIL SANDER – Via Beltrami, 5
17,00 EMPORIO ARMANI – Via Bergognone, 59
18,00 BURBERRY PRORSUM – Via Melegari, 3
19,00 LES HOMMES – Via Meda, 24

Sunday, 17 January 2010
09,00 BOTTEGA VENETA – Via Privata Ercole Marelli, 6
10,00 FRANKIE MORELLO – Via Palermo, 10
11,00 GIANFRANCO FERRE’ – Via Pontaccio, 21
12,00 ROBERTO CAVALLI – Via Burigozzo, 2
13,00 SALVATORE FERRAGAMO – Piazza Affari, 6
14,00 VIVIENNE WESTWOOD – Via Turati, 34
15,00 NEIL BARRETT – Viale Alemagna, 6
16,00 GIULIANO FUJIWARA –  Via Pier Lombardo, 14
17,00 GAZZARRINI -  Via Burlamacchi, 1
18,00 PRADA – Via Fogazzaro, 36
19,00 JOHN VARVATOS – Corso Italia, 21

Monday, 18 January 2010
09,30 PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND – Via Clerici, 10
10,15 ENRICO COVERI – Via San Barnaba, 48
11,00 DIRK BIKKEMBERGS – Corso Italia, 58
12,00 GUCCI – Piazza Oberdan, 2/B
13,00 JOHN RICHMOND – Giardini di Porta Venezia – Via Palestro
14,00 ETRO – Via Piranesi, 14
15,00 BYBLOS – Viale Montenero, 55
16,00 CANALI – Via Savona, 56
17,00 VERSACE – Piazza Vetra, 1
18,00 MONCLER GAMME BLEU – Via Tortona, 58
19,00 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – Via Thaon De Revel, 3
20,00 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – Via Thaon De Revel, 3

Tuesday, 19 January 2010
10,00 DSQUARED2 – Corso Italia, 58
11,00 GIORGIO ARMANI BUYER – Via Bergognone, 59
12,00 GIORGIO ARMANI STAMPA – Via Bergognone, 59
13,00 ERMANNO SCERVINO – Via Manzoni, 37
15,00 ICEBERG – Via Palermo, 10
16,00 Z ZEGNA – Via Savona, 56 A

Italian version

Victoria’s Secret chose the wonderfully beautiful 31-year-old top-model Marisa Miller to introduce to the public the most precious bra of the year.

The name of the model is “Harlequin Fantasy Bra” and to realize it, it took about 800 hours. It is entirely inset with 2.300 diamonds, 22 rubies, and a 16 carat heart-shaped pendant. The exclusive edition produced only 150 exemplars. This piece of high luxury is worth 2.2 million Euros.

The collaboration with Damiani continues, and it is not the first time that the American maison attempts such a challenge.
The record, still to be beat, as “most expensive bra” dates back to 2001. It was worth 12.5 million Dollars and top-model Heidi Klum was the one to wear it.
Last year, the honour to wear the extra-luxury underwear signed by Victoria’s Secret went to Brazilian model Adriana Lima.

Italian version

With these new collections your creativity doesn’t have any age limit.
We thought to accompany women in every stage of their life. So, besides the novelty of the baby collection, we created a set of car products, ranging from stickers to ornament the bodywork, to the cat-shaped seat cover, to the trash bin. Another novelty is the cushions collection which contain, inside, a silhouette blanket or a remote cover to chill out on the sofa at night. In order to be even more glamorous, we created also a collection of finger watches made of sparkling crystals.

By now Camomilla does not simply follow the guidelines of the Japanese head office, but comes up with her own items.
Camomilla for Hello Kitty has become preponderant in the generation of our turnover. One needs thinking that the firm 2009 turnover, closed on 30th June, was of 37 millions euro (it was 30 millions last year) 60% of which gathered thanks to the Hello Kitty world. The success of Camomilla for Hello Kitty is due to the coherence of the project that gives to everything which represents the Italian lifestyle the mawkish imprint of the pink cat. Camomilla for Hello Kitty is the Italian side of Hello Kitty. We create with the same brand wine, sofas, and armchairs as well as glasses and many more households and accessorizes. For instance, from Brianza come armchairs and chaise longue, from Como silk foulards and scarfs, and from the wine cellars Torti Tenimenti Castelrotto of the Oltrepò Pavese sparkling wine, strictly rosè and other wines made of their best grapes.

The made in Italy by Camomilla for Hello Kitty is also the protagonist in the Sanrio stores all over the world.
It’s true, inside the Sanrio Luxe in New York we have a corner dedicated to Camomilla for Hello Kitty, where one can find all our products, from furniture to clothing and accessorizes. This corner is the format that we will duplicate in all the Sanrio Luxe store of the world already at work and in those whose opening is close. Other stores where to find Camomilla for Hello Kitty, besides the nearly 3,000 multibrand all over the world, are the two stores in Milan, the one in Times Square in New York, the one in Verone and Rome, to which will be added those in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid.

Alessandra Iannello

Italian version

Chairing the event will be the American singer Janet Jackson, Michael’s sister.

Italian version

Us Weekly however unveiled the film plot kept hidden until today.
So, besides a wonderful New York, unfailing fantastic clothes, comforting chats among friends and hot secrets unveiled we will find again Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha dealing with their life of eternal family “initials”.

Miranda will reconsider the virtues of living a chilled family life to the detriment of the job, Samantha will take back the ex-boy friend Smith Jerrod, Charlotte will find out a mixed blessing of motherhood, while Carrie and Mr Big…obviously they have problems.

Financial slump, gay weddings, the eternal dilemma between a pair of Manolo Blahnik and the very chic Christian Louboutin and much more.
“The shoe has always tried to be a loyal mirror of the real new York”, theorizes Bradley Jacobs, senior editor of Us weekly, “as far as the plot is concerned it is genial to see our heroes falling from rags to riches”

Will our heroes manage to overcome this too? If not the wedding, at least a couple of shoes…exclusively designer ones.

Italian version

The event includes the most important national brands, ambassadors in the world of Italian luxury and of feminine creativity. Eight brands: Alberta Ferretti, Blumarine, Etro, Fendi, Marni, Missoni, Moschino, and Versace, represented by women who have in common a passion for glamour, beauty and the joy of life.

Unquestioned star the contour bottle of Coca-Cola, that in its version Coca-Cola light turns into a diva to be “dressed up” by the most important Italian designers.

“With Coca-Cola light we want to talk to those women – says Rodolfo Echeverria, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Italy – with a strong personality, extroversive, modern, who like to experiment, as well as beauty, design, art and culture, so that they can remember to pull out the most authentic and unique part of themselves. We are proud of this Tribute because it represents in a sublime way the idea we want to transmit to educated, sensitive and always glamorous women. I want to thank the municipality of Milan for the unique opportunity offered to our firm – continues Rodolfo Echeverria - and obviously the wonderful designers who decided to join us in this project, to experiment and to pay Tribute to all women.”

A big event that will see the combination of creativity and solidarity, due to the important Charity strongly demanded by Coca-Cola Italy, by the big protagonists of Made in Italy and by the Municipality of Milan, to increase awareness, a great example of solidarity “of women for women”. The auction proceed will be donated to “Municipality of Milan for Abruzzo”, an initiative promoted by the Municipality of Milan, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Milan and the main industrial unions. The amount collected will be destined to a selection of projects aimed at enhancing the productive fabric and at reactivating the economy of the areas hit by the earthquake, besides supporting the training and introduction to work of youngsters from Abruzzo, with particular care for women.

Fashion & the City – Tribute to Fashion will be the open air exhibition that Coca-Cola Italy will donate to the City in order to visually tell the most glamorous interpretation of Coca-Cola light, the creativity, the imagination and the commitment of Italian fashion.

Italian version

Many stars actually wear items of the brand from Pavia. From Simona Ventura to Ana Laura Ribas, from Christopher Lambert to Elena Santarelli, from Nina Moric to Martina Colombari, from Catherine Deneuve to Valeria Mazza.
Simonetta follows in her father Giuliano’s footsteps who, thanks to testimonial such as Alain Delon, Sophia Loren, Mike Bongiorno or Jerry Hall, brought the made in Italy of fur coats to the world red carpets.

Simonetta follows in also another one of her father’s footsteps, that is, the democratization of the fur. In fact, if in the 1960s Giuliano, thanks to a good intuition, brought the fur coat into the world of the prêt-à-porter – not anymore a luxury for few, but an item to wear everywhere – today Simonetta combines it with “poorer” fabrics and makes it an item for everyone.
We met Simonetta Ravizza in the backstage of the fashion show that took place at the Versiliana of Marina di Pietrasanta on the occasion of the first edition of the Versilia di Moda.

Why is Simonetta Ravizza at the Versiliana?
I have a very strong emotional tie with this place. I give you one of the most significant examples. My father was a good friend of Romano Battaglia (soul of the summer events of the Versiliana, editor’s note) and came here to present the book about the sad days of his abduction. A happier memory, instead, is about the summers I spent in Versilia.

Your brand celebrated 15 years: a summary of this period.
Many different goals have been achieved, first of all having young women wearing furs. In fact, I combined important furs with the most “normal” fabrics like felt, denim and waxed fabrics. To clear out the idea of the fur as a coat I created unedited accessorizes. There is the fox fur collar, the rigid bracelet in horse fur and rhinestone, colourful bags in Mongolia fabric…All to make the daily clothing precious.

Where will the future projects take Simonetta Ravizza?
I am working for the brand to cover the spring-summer too. Next year we will take part in Milano Collezioni with a summer collection made of leather and suede items. Moreover, very soon it will be possible to find glasses by Simonetta Ravizza and produced by Moa Ottica at the optician. We had created a limited edition on sale only in the boutique of Via Montenapoleone in Milan. It has been welcome so well that we decided to make a continuing collection for the traditional distribution channel. But my desire is a perfume with my name.

Many projects for such a moment…
I have to say that for us the moment is not so negative. We plan to end 2009 with a turnover of 15 millions euro. We have been affected by a slight drop on the Russian and North American market, while we registered great results in Taiwan. Excellent also the performance of the showroom we opened in Paris. We are also trying to plan to the best our entry in the markets of Dubai and the Emirates.

The next editions of the Vintage Workshop, exhibition for fashion insiders and true lovers of clothes and d’antan accessories, are just about to start.

The first session of the sale-exhibition will take place from September 8 to 11, 2009, contemporarily with Milano Unica, and it will present a very creative and fine selection of clothes from the ‘50s to the ‘70s, and a quite peculiar digression on clothing habits in the ‘80s. Besides this, the piece de resistence, as usual, will be represented by thousands of Vintage accessories belonging to the entire time frame of the 20th century: bags, shoes, belts, pasha minas, buckles and many other curiosities from the accessories’ world.

The second exhibition will be held from 21 to 23 September and will be completely different from the first. It will be organized as a show-room with free entrance, set up as a “special event for accessories”. A side exhibition is also scheduled, titled “Glamorous Eighties”, dedicated to the most creative and interesting accessories of the ‘80s, curated by Angela Eupani.

As usual, the venue of the Vintage Workshop, organized by the Cultural non-profit Association Vintage Fashion Researchers, for both sessions, will be the exposition hall of the Admiral Hotel at 16, Via Domodossola, in front of the Domodossola Gate of the Fieramilanocity.

Vintage Workshop

8-11 September and 21-23 September 2009

Admiral Hotel – via Domodossola 16 – Milano
Opening Times: 8 September, 1 p.m.-8 p.m.;  9-10-11 September 9 a.m.-20 p.m. ; 21-22 September 9 a.m.-20 p.m. ; 23 September 9 a.m.-3 p.m..
Free Entrance
www.vintageworkshop.it
www.vintageworkshop.org

Italian version

We are following with great interest the shots that will fill the most important fashion magazines in the coming months to narrate a glamour and elegant autumn-winter 2009-2010.
The advertising campaign that we here present is that by Fendi.

The roman maison hitting the top of the LVMH group chose an exceptional photographer, creative director Karl Lagerfeld.
We have already talked of his talent in photography on the occasion of the appearance of the shots realized with Jake Davies and on this occasion too the master of style did not miss expectations: eventually, who better than him could interpret his models? Suggestion and charm are the keynotes of photographs that recount a romantically strong woman, tenderly wild, gently primitive. Model Jessica Stem is the interpreter of the collection, stunningly beautiful and previously muse of Marc Jacobs who dedicated to her his it Bag.

Italian version