Over the past few years, technology has made many steps forward toward the discover of “touch”, but it is right also to find out how the advertising industry is going to give back centrality to the touch. It is obvious that the main classic media (TV, radio and press) can only do little to communicate the experience of touch, but it is interesting to see the creative efforts in order to convey a tactile sensation.

A recent example comes from Louis Vuitton that over the Christmas time made a refined multi-subject campaign wisely focused on the concept of craftsmanship. They are shots by Desirée Dolron, where the focus is not on the models’ body aesthetics anymore but on the act of creating.
They are pictures where the dominant black and a light on the face and on the hands allow to match the beauty of the models with creativity. The moves of the craftsman, if on the one hand amplify the qualitative and exclusive aspects, on the other hand can be interpreted as an invitation to the reader to search with his own hand the touch hidden behind the products of the best maisons. The visual shift from the cliché of the dressed models to the models “who do” is an evolution of the communicative style that we can’t rule out will inspire other brands too.

The hands of the craftsman are hidden in the Rolex campaign too for the woman model Oyster Perpetual Datejust Black, where the visual is dominated in first place by the gemmolog’s pliers who selects the best diamonds to set. The headline “every watch is a canvas to paint” suggests the theme of arts and crafts that come back to suggest that it is the uniqueness of the forger the distinctive element of high quality products. Tactile elements are present also in the last Trinity by Cartier campaign, to underline the uniqueness of who wear the jewel, through digital prints represented by a golden and diamond powder. The hands confer exclusivity and charm to it.

Often even the emphasize on details is an unvoiced invitation to touch. Many campaigns have a photographic approach so to underline the material characteristics of the products, or of some of their parts. The aim is to emphasize those textures that more than others invite to touch. Think of the Tudor Grantour Chrono caompaign, where the lights linger not only on the watch dial but also on the details of the watch band, the hot part, and the mechanical/technological area of the case. To sum up, luxury, craftsmanship and touch are more and more intertwined words also for the communication industry. A thematic area that does not have anything to share with the concept of ostentation, but far from real luxury.

Marco De Angeli, ABC

Italian version

“During the visit to the Maybach Manufaktur of Sindelfingen, I had the inspiration to create tho iconographic pictures conveying the same seducing and dynamic attraction of the Maybach itself”, said LaChapelle.

It was love at first sight since the last spring and it was expressed through a series of pictures whose subjects are the limited edition of the Zeppelin and its ancestor from the 1930s, the Zeppelin DS8, immortalized in the surreal and sensual atmosphere characteristic of the American photographer.

The shots, “Exposure of luxury” and “Berlin stories”, have been presented on the occasion of Art Basel Miami Beach in early December 2009.

Italian version

Eighty firms will take part in the Show Room consecrated to the home, with a single goal: to support the made in Italy carrying on the tradition of craftsmanship and the typical manufacture bond to the history of our country.

During this 88th edition there will be several moments thought of in order to proclaim, by enjoying food, the art of cooking and the quality of kitchen utensils, tools and accessorizes, necessary “instruments” through which the ingredients – along with the chef’s skills – turn into a memorable experience of the body and of the senses.

Alongside Regional Treats, a project dedicated to the regional cooking thought of to marvel the palate through the charm of a countryside story or of an old recipe, there will be interesting events organized by Macef in collaboration with Gambero Rosso.

The initiative will take the name of Cooking Show and will involve twenty participants per class.
Chef Luca Ogliotti, with an espert oenologist of Gambero Rosso, will direct these spectacular exhibitions. Each turn will last approximately two hours and the themes covered will be: Finger food, Veggie menu, Main courses of the Roman cuisine, Milk puddings and custards, If one evening at a sudden…, Today for tomorrow.

The program is the following:
Friday 15th at 11:00: Veggie Menu
Friday 15th at 15:00: Today for tomorrow
Saturday 16th at 11:00: Finger food
Saturday 16th at 15:00: If one evening at a sudden
Sunday 17th at 11:00: main courses of the Roman cuisine
Sunday 17th at 15:00: Milk puddings and custards

http://www.macef.it/
http://www.gamberorosso.it/

Italian version

It represents one section of the auction house website that will allow the fans of vintage fashion to upload the images of the accessorizes so to be evaluated by Gucci’s experts and to sell the items through Christie’s.

Italian version

The boat emphasizes, through the modern style, the typical quality and exclusivity of the brand Colombo. The deck has a contemporary design that Nuvolari and Lenard designed for this new model. The naval architecture firm Victory Design of Brunello Acampora, instead, designed the hull.

In the simplicity of its layout, with well furnished cockpit and large sundeck, there is his functionality. On the design, the choice of materials, the care of construction, depends, instead, its exclusivity.

The stern turns into the gangway and “beach”, taking up a distinctive feature of the range, already proposed on the model 26.
Under the deck, the space is entirely devoted to the owner’s suite, while, on demand, it is possible to set up a cabin crew.

The 36 Bellagio of Colombo will be powered by Volvo Penta IPS 400 propulsion system with 300 hp turbo diesel D4, to offer maximum agility, mooring and cruising.

Specifications
Length overall
11.53 m
Beam
3.65 m
Dry displacement
7.00 t
Fuel tank
990 l
Water tank
350 l
Engine
Volvo Penta IPS 400 – 2 x D4 300 hp

http://www.colomboboats.it/

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

The Rocket III Roadster distinguishes for the three cylinders engine 2.294 cc powerplant Triumph with a maximum power of 148HP.
Fitted with a sophisticated ABS system especially developed for the Rocket III it has received a long list of ergonomic and quality improvements over the precedent models.

Each detail has been taken care of to offer the pilot a unique driving experience.
The footrests are further back, lower down and more inboard than the standard version, the seat sits the rider higher and further forward.
New rear suspensions have been designed to offer a more comfortable and controlled ride. Much more sportive, the Rocket III Roadster is much easier to steer on the corners than any other Rocket III.

The new mufflers, one each side, are long and large and they are integral part of the motorcycle design.
On sale from December the Rocket III Roadster is available in Phantom Black (metallic) or Matt Black (opaque).

Italian version

Twenty four new first stars have been awarded, well scattered throughout the national territory.

After Gualtiero Marchesi in 2008, also Ezio Santin, chef of Antica Osteria del Ponte, in Cassinetta di Lugagnano left the scoring system of the guide books. Among the most relevant exits is the closing of the restaurant “Il Gambero Rosso” of Fulvio Pierangelini in San Vincenzo (Li), together with another 13 restaurants.
Among the new comers we point out big hotels whose restaurants & bar went from being the Cinderella of gastronomy to the benchmark for gourmets.
It’s also interesting the section that Michelin dedicated to the “Big Gourmand”, that is those restaurants featuring a good quality for the price – 234 in this edition.
The most prestigious and complete Guide book for this edition took into consideration 6,306 business (2,392 restaurants, 3,914 hotels, 394 countryside B&B) in 2,076 venues.

All the new comers:
THREE stars added
Da Vittorio – Brusaporto

TWO stars added
Piazza Duomo – Alba
Antica Corona Reale da Renzo – Cervere
Il Mosaico (Terme Manzi Hotel) – Ischia-Casamicciola Terme
La Madia – Licata
Il Pellicano – Porto Ercole
Trenkerstube (H Castel) – Tirolo
Met (H Metropole) – Venezia

ONE star added
Andreini – Alghero
Ortica – Bedizzole
Roof Garden (H San Marco) – Bergamo
Vicolo Santa Lucia (H Carducci 76) – Cattolica
Baldin – Genova/Sestri Ponente
Al Vigneto – Grumello del Monte
Sissi – Merano
Castel Fragsburg – Merano/Freiberg
Le Robinie – Montescano
Hostaria del Mare – Modena
La Fornace di Barbablù (R. Palazzo Vescovile) – Noli
La Locanda di Bu – Nusco
Il Piastrino – Pennabilli
Cafè les Paillotes – Pescara
Meridiana – Piove di Sacco
La Fenice (H Villa Carlotta) – Ragusa
Glass Hostaria – Rome
Antonello Colonna – Rome
Savino Mongelli – Santa Vittoria d’Alba
Osteria del Pomiroeu – Seregno
Cinzia da Christian e Manuel – Vercelli
L’Accanto ( GD H Angiolieri) – Vico Equense

Italian version

Thus, the hair stylists Monica Coppola and Fabrizio Ferri tell a story of hope: everyone can find their own essence.
The colour is nothing but a track to follow not to get lost: blow in the wind, caress on the face, coup de foudre in the hair, seduced by imperceptible and voluptuous shapes.

Italian version

The main purpose of the event is to reverse the rules of the current fairs system by putting a special emphasis on those works of art that will come through fashion and compromises.
Nowadays galleries and fairs have become a real business market, hardly characterized by exclusiveness and rather focused on the importance of the artist’s name rather than on the specific value of the artistic emotional impact.

We decided to give prominence to painting, introducing nine very different artists. The event aims to demonstrate that even in the contemporary art scene there is still an ongoing painting knowledge, although contemporary art seems exclusively focused on important and popular names and on being provocative.

The ideal venue for this event is the Spazio Pergolesi 8, former TV studio, now White Cultural Cube.

The artists called together for this first event are nine. Angelo Cruciani has been going through a spiritual path for years that begins from the character of Christ through the Street art Operations until social exhibitions. Alberto Garbati is a popular fashion director and an artist at the same time. He has worked for years on the figurative-material vision of the metropolis. Gatto Nero, writer of the Old School of Milan, is an international protagonist of the Street Art with over twenty years of experience. Pietro Geranzani is a painter searching for an obscure reality expressed through paintings full of uneasiness and of psychological shadows. Fabio Inverni, instead, followed the strand of hyper realism. Walter Ladislao came to the world of fashion in the seventies and since he has carried on a long relationship with Gianni Versace. In 2000 his great passion for painting led him to tackle a deep analysis of the colour bringing up its utmost emotional and expressive potential. Luca Lillo is an example of artist who went from Graphics to Contemporary Art. Technology and soul found a aesthetic and conceptual compromise in his works of art, that counter childlike intimity with the future. Salvatore Melillo gets lost in torment and in the deforming expression of the image to entrap the reality that often only one’s sensibility can bring into focus. Eventually, Roberto Silvestrini Garcia combines the manga with sacred iconography.

Milan Art Affairs Special Event
By Hamilton Moura Fiho and Grace Zanotto
11-12-13th December 2009
Spazio Pergolesi
Via Pergolesi, 8 – Milan
Phone: +39 02 66986054
milanartaffairs@email.it

Italian version

With the inauguration expected in summer 2010, the Hilton Garden Inn Venice / Mestre San Giuliano will be located in Venice Mestre and it will therefore become the second Hilton Wolrdwide hotel in the city, offering the quality standards that distinguish the brand.
The Hilton Garden Inn Venice / Mestre San Giuliano will have 136 rooms, all endowed with the characteristic comforts of the brand, and it will rise near the park San Giuliano and the main road SS14 connecting the airport with the centre.

At the opening, the new Doubletree by Hilton Olbia-Sardinia will feature a total of 124 large rooms, a full service restaurant and bar with outdoor terrace, and a dedicated fitness centre with an outdoor swimming pool. Four fully equipped meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art business centre and Wi-Fi internet access throughout the property will establish the hotel as one of Sardinia’s leading choices for domestic and international business travellers.
Situated in a prime location a few hundred meters from the city centre, the hotel is well positioned close to the historic port and only five kilometres from the city’s international airport.
The agreements show the constant growth of Hilton in Italy, that currently runs directly or in franchising 16 hotels, including the luxury brand Waldorf Astoria Collection, the full-service brand Doubletree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn for the mid-market segment.

Italian version

Refined though informal atmosphere and delicious though not pretentious food. Matteo Fronduti explains to Luxgallery the philosophy behind Manna restaurant, a paradise corner just at the outskirts of Milan.
Class ’77, Fronduti worked for Armani, Trussardi and many others like D’O Cornaredo, selecting the best to learn the technique and fuel the passion.

The dream of opening his own restaurant became true in 2008. During this first year, his popularity grew significantly, and Manna’s too, of course. Curious dishes, not only for the palate, but also for the soul: half portions for who can not choose between ‘Mbhe ?! and Curiosity Killed the Cat

How did you come up with the idea for this restaurant?
The idea of the restaurant originates from a project and a prerogative: quality above all. After years of experience gained working side by side with great chefs, I felt the need to own my own place where I could entirely free my idea of cuisine.
The first objective of our restaurant is that to get the quality rid of excessive prices. We want our guests to enjoy our food not only once a year, or for important events, but every time they want.

How did you choose the name?
When we were about to choose the name of the restaurant we wanted it to be harmonic and effective, though not tied up to the environment. We liked Manna for the sound: it is catchy. And Manna is a lymph, extracted from bark, that, once properly cut, becomes food. It is recognized by  high quality Presidium Slow Food and some recognize it from the Bible as the food sent by God to feed the Hebrews during their 40 years in the desert.

What about your staff?
My staff is young though professionally highly qualified. The key factor to work here is that to be ready and willing, and hard workers without taking things too seriously, as I believe we also have to have fun.

Your dishes feature quite expressive menu names: where do you take inspiration from?
I wish to underline the fact that we first create the dishes and then get inspired by them, so to put a smile on our guests’ faces, when they read the menu. It is a sort of captatio benevolentiae, necessary to cut the distances and make out of the convivial moment, a time of true pleasure.

What do you believe cannot be given up when cooking?
Quality. When cooking, you can make different choices regarding the type of ingredient to use, but you can never come to a compromise with products’ freshness. Thanks to the experience and the technique I gained throughout my previous jobs, we are able to offer dishes that are simple though realized at the best of our capabilities.

Culinary art: what does it mean to you?
The cuisine for me is not art, if anything, it is craftsmanship, a high standard one, but eventually it is just a job.

Brunch together with writers? Where does this idea come from? What is the importance of events for a restaurant like yours?
Events represent what the restaurant aims to be, that is a meeting venue, pleasant and dynamic at the same time. It is not a particularly original idea that to merge gastronomy and literature, what we do is to offer such events under an entertaining light, as the brunch can be, giving room to young emerging writers.

Now you are the creator and Chef at the Manna, what do you want to do as a grown-up?
I would like to bring up and develop this restaurant and my staff. So, yes, as a grow-up I want to be a chef.

Here is what you could be tasting during this 1009 winter, but watch out: at Manna’s, nothing is given for granted and you may happen to taste a different specialty a day. Try to believe it.

Hors d’oevre
POVERTY AND NOBLENESS
Bread, mortadella, stracchino (soft cheese), and toasted pistachios
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Carrot pie, ginger and squid
ALMOST LIKE AT MIRANDOLINA’S
Rock mullet in “saor” sauce
THE MIGRANT
Onion omelette

First Courses
MBHE?!
Pasta with beans
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
Pumpkin toasted ravioli, raw red prawns and lard
NOW OR NEVER
Cream (with butter) rice, porcini and Bagoss cheese
ALDO FABBBBBRIZI
Bucatini with cheese, pepper and lamb liver

Second Courses
LAKE SUMMARY
Roasted eel, salted pike and trout terrine
CHEEK TO CHEEK
Guanciale (Italian bacon) with gewurtztraminer and braised Belgian endive
A STEAK
Beef sirloin, spinach and grape sauce
THE TURTLE WON
Lightly marinated hare with butter smashed potatoes

Desserts
GO AWAY DOCTOR!
Overturned apple cake with vanilla icecream
IF ONLY GRANPA KNEW!
Soft chestnuts, pine nuts and rosemary
NOW OR NEVER
Creamy banana and cocoa sorbet
CACOLATO
Hot dark chocolate with persimmon

Manna Restaurant
Tel +39 02.26809153
P.le Governo Provvisorio, 6 – Milan
www.mannamilano.it

Francesca Zottola

Italian version