Nina Ricci - Top DesignerWritten by Sher Matsen
In 1883 in Turin, Italy Maria Nielli was born. In 1895 when Maria was 12, her family moved to France. When she was 13, she apprenticed to a dressmaker. At age of 18 Maria had become head of salon and at age of 22 she was their chief designer. In 1904 she married a jeweler named Luigi Ricci. In 1905 she gave birth to their son Robert. In 1908 Nina joined house of Raffin as a designer where she stayed for 20 years. At age 50, in 1932, Madame Ricci opened her own house with her son Robert. It was House of Ricci. Robert ran business and Madame Ricci created garments. During 1930’s business grew very quickly. Beginning as a one room operation it grew to consume 11 floors in 3 buildings. Nina Ricci created elegant, sophisticated garments in a classic style. She was well known for her high quality garments becoming very popular with older society women. She was highly talented at getting most out of every print. Both her evening and day dresses were designed to draw attention to female figure. In 1963 Crahay left Ricci and was replaced by Gerard Pipart, who had worked with Balmain, Fath and Jean Patou. In traditional Ricci style, he designed beautiful lace dresses with appliquéd fabrics. At age of 87 Nina Ricci died in 1970. Pipart continued designing for house of Ricc. Robert, Nina’s son was not only an excellent business person, he was an expert perfumer. He has transformed house into a size Nina would never imagined possible. At age 83 in 1988, Robert Ricci died. In 1998 Mariano Puig, of Catalan family purchased house of Nina Ricci in 1998. They also owns house of Paco Rabanne.
| | The Mulleavy Sisters as Fashion DesignersWritten by Sher Matsen
If you’ve been following fashion scene, by now you’ve most likely heard names Kate and Laura Mulleavy. New to fashion world and hitting it full force, these two young girls are an inspiration for others. Without formal training but armed with determination, charm, and great ideas you reach your dreams. Sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy new Rodarte line is full of nostalgia capturing feel of 1930s in America. It was only last year that sisters Kate and Laura decided to launch their own label Rodarte. They were determined to cut no corners using only most expensive fabrics. Rodarte is based on strong American spirit. Fashion icons such as Carole Lombard were inspirational to their designs. The Rodarte line can be found at Mix in Houston and Kirna Zaberte in New York. 26 year old Kate and 24 year old Laura both graduated from Berkeley. Neither has any formal fashion training, only a passion for history of past. Both have always had an interest in designing clothing. Rodarte is named after their Grandfather a Zacatecan coal miner who immigrated to America during Mexican Revolution. The family’s linage is very important to both girls. They are also very close to each other which is why they make such a great team. These inseparable sisters have been in business a very short period of time when they got a break. The Mulleavy sisters introduced their small collection of silk dresses adorned with peacock feathers and Italian-wool evening coats. Their collections were as aesthetically pleasing as works of famous designers such as Calvin Klein. They certainly were most talked about.
|
