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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maria Grazia Chiuri on Her Restored Theater and Rome's Special Locations
ROME – Rome has famously been described as a stage, given its fascinating and storied backdrops for events, its history of open-air performances in the city's landmarks from the Colosseum to the Pantheon, and its ancient theaters. Now, Maria Grazia Chiuri has her own stage in the Italian capital, thanks to a personal investment by the designer and her family to restore a gem, the Teatro della Cometa. 'This is such a small tale that risked getting lost in a city that needs so much restoration, but I'm happy to reopen this theater and show the results of five years of works,' said Chiuri, who inaugurated the theater ahead of the Dior cruise show here Tuesday. More from WWD Albert Watson Depicts Rome His Own Way in New Photography Exhibit Italian Fashion Associations Sign Protocol to Combat Worker Exploitation in Supply Chain LVMH Is Innovating With Its Viva Tech Stand The artistic director of Dior's women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections was clearly influenced by Countess Anna Laetitia Pecci Blunt, known as Mimì, who commissioned the theater in 1958. 'Her life was dedicated to art, and she herself was an artistic talent and a photographer,' Chiuri told WWD. 'I wanted to celebrate how a woman of that generation was exceptional and inspiring,' explained the designer, who over the years has shined a light on several creatives, from Mickalene Thomas, Joana Vasconcelos and Judy Chicago to choreographer Sharon Eyal, among others. 'It's more difficult for creative women to emerge in art, and I like to give different points of view, but this does not exclude men,' she clarified. Chiuri stumbled on sketches of the theater by Tommaso Buzzi, the 20th century architect who designed the venue and, among other projects, the multi-faceted architectural complex and symbol of creative freedom La Scarzuola, and was immediately intrigued. 'I was fascinated by how he had imagined this place, conceived as an intimate theater inspired by those of ancient courts. It's small, but it has everything it needs, including a revolving stage and windows that look onto the stage and on the street, creating a connection with the city, which becomes almost a set for the theater,' said Chiuri. Described by architect and art historian Antonio Muñoz as 'a jewel at the foot of the Capitoline Hill,' since 1958 the Teatro della Cometa has hosted performances by Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Arthur Kopit, and concerts by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Milly, and Charles Trenet, until its closure in 1968 due to a fire. It later reopened and then closed again during COVID-19 and Chiuri said the restoration with a new visual identity designed by Studio Sonnoli was 'complex,' as she wanted to 'maintain the original spirit, keep all the main elements such as the chandeliers in the shape of stars and comets, brass doors, stage machinery and the structure, but still modernize it for efficiency.' A selection of archival material dedicated to the history and conception of the theater, curated by Maria Alicata with original drawings by Buzzi; period photographs of Pecci Blunt with friends including Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí, and Alberto Moravia; posters; letters; manuscripts; invitation; flyers, and publications are displayed throughout. 'Pecci Blunt lived between Rome, Paris, Tuscany and New York and she was in contact with the same creative entourage of Monsieur Dior,' said Chiuri, citing a photo where the countess is seen wearing Dior with Cecil Beaton. 'She was internationally recognized for her commitment to the promotion of culture and the arts.' In fact, in 1935 she founded the Galleria della Cometa, named after the heraldic emblem of the Pecci family, and in 1937 The Cometa Art Gallery opened in New York. As a sign of continuity with the theater's strong multidisciplinary vocation, Chiuri sees the location as 'a hub for avant-garde cultural innovation, from theatrical drama, to dance, music, performance, artist residencies, workshops and international showcases and festivals, and high-quality international proposals, promoting exchange and the fusion of cultures, becoming a reference point for a dynamic, and inclusive cultural system.' After, all, she added, Christian Dior 'had also worked with the theater and ballets' over the years. Chiuri's daughter Rachele Regini has been involved in the project and is the theater's head of the scientific committee, working with the curators and creating the calendar of activities and events. 'We want to approach theater as interdisciplinary. Teatro della Cometa is small, seating 230 guests, but the advantage is that you can experiment, it's not necessarily as complex as a bigger theater with 2,000 seats,' said Chiuri. Ahead of the Dior fashion show, the theater presented reenactments of the tableaux vivants imagined by Pecci Blunt for her soirées, along with others inspired by the famous photographs taken by Man Ray during the Bal Blanc she organized in 1930. On the stage, amid the sets designed by Chiuri's longtime collaborator and artist Pietro Ruffo, the performers wore reinterpretations of period costumes curated by Maria Luisa Frisa and created in Rome's legendary costumer house Atelier Tirelli by Chiuri. All in white, the performers portrayed Pierrot, the Joker and the Duke of Orleans, among others. Chiuri enthused about working with Tirelli, a first for the designer, and the quality and the craft of its costumers. 'It's the Oscars' atelier,' she said, pointing to how it has contributed to 17 Academy Award wins for best costume design, from 'The English Patient' to 'Titanic.' Among the 15,000 archival costumes are, for example, the dress worn by Maria Callas in Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'Medea' and Winona Ryder's and Michelle Pfeiffer's gowns worn in Martin Scorsese's 'The Age of Innocence.' As part of the experience in Rome, in addition to the theater, Dior organized private visits to Tirelli, to Ruffo's studio, where he showed several of his works created for the luxury brand with Chiuri, and the stunning Domus Aurea, the archeological complex originally built by Emperor Nero. Asked how this tour of meaningful locations in Rome differed from the 10 venues Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli chose in 2015 when they were co-creative directors of Valentino for the Mirabilia Romae exhibition marking their fall couture show back then, the designer paused for thought. 'A new project in Rome was on my wish list, but it was also a challenge and not so easy because Mirabilia was magic, very successful and at the time it was very innovative. Now I wanted to offer a different view of Rome, more connected to cinema and theater. The movies have been a big promoter of the city, through neo-realism, for example. I felt it was important to tell a story that was not only personal but also through the city.' Best of WWD Bottega Veneta Through the Years Chanel's Ambassadors Over The Years Ranking Fashion's Longest-serving Creative Directors
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dior Cruise 2026: A Roman Thriller
For Maria Grazia Chiuri, staging her Dior cruise show in Rome was a gamble: she hadn't presented a collection in her hometown in 10 years, ever since her Mirabilia Romae haute couture show as cocreative director of Valentino. 'For me, doing a project in Rome was obviously one of my desires, but also one of my fears, because 'Mirabilia' was such a high point,' she said in a preview ahead of the Dior event on Tuesday night. More from WWD Maria Grazia Chiuri on Her Restored Theater and Rome's Special Locations Italian Fashion Associations Sign Protocol to Combat Worker Exploitation in Supply Chain LVMH Is Innovating With Its Viva Tech Stand It turns out, there are enough marvels in Rome for several fashion extravaganzas. Chiuri put on a super-production worthy of the city's famed Cinecittà film studios in an equally cinematic setting, the Villa Albani Torlonia after dark. Its central parterre was shrouded in artificial fog, with a smattering of real raindrops that started to fall just as the show was about to begin, but let up about halfway through. The privately owned, 18th-century complex, home to a prestigious collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, is off the beaten track due to its byzantine admissions policy. Even art collector Jean Pigozzi had never managed to score an invitation. 'I have a house, and I live exactly 300 feet away from here, and every day, I walk in front of it. I said, 'How can I come in?' And they said, 'Oh, you can come in. It costs about 300 euros.' So I said, 'OK, well, I'm gonna think about it.' And I was very kindly invited by Dior,' he said. Having befriended the owners, he hopes to eventually make it inside the villa, where the artworks are housed. Chiuri channeled the venue's deep historical references with a sequence of outfits fit for a Renaissance princess. Diaphanous gowns, in a palette dominated by cream and white, alternated with sinous crimson and black velvet column dresses and androgynous outerwear. A black lace dress was topped with a heavy cream wool military-style coat with tails, while others came with a peaked trench cape, a shrug-sized motorcycle jacket or cream tailcoats with more than a hint of Marlene Dietrich. For viewers joining online, the broadcast was bookended by a short film by Italian director Matteo Garrone, marking his third collaboration with the designer. In it, characters dressed in pale costumes roamed the grounds like ghostly apparitions. If some of them looked familiar, it's because Chiuri commissioned costume house Tirelli to reproduce some of its most famous creations, seen in films ranging from Luchino Visconti's 'The Leopard' to Martin Scorsese's 'The Age of Innocence.' 'We wanted not only to experiment, but also with this lightness, to show that the construction behind a film costume is very close to haute couture,' she said. The collaboration was the starting point for her collection: an ode to Rome's enduring love affair with the silver screen. Including both ready-to-wear and haute couture looks, it took its cues from film heroines. Silvana Mangano's aristocratic character in 'Death in Venice' was echoed in a lace-encrusted shirtdress and dense crochet-style knits, while a beaded gown channeled gladiator attitude with a trompe-l'oeil chest motif and a long strip skirt. 'Cinema has done a lot to promote the image of Rome,' Chiuri said. 'For me, it was important not only to show my personal Rome, but also Rome as it has appeared in the movies.' In those classic films, the line between fantasy and reality is often tenuous: think of Anita Ekberg bathing in the Trevi fountain in 'La Dolce Vita,' or Marcello Mastroianni in the guise of an 18th-century nobleman haunting an ancient palazzo in 'Ghosts of Rome.' Those blurred lines were on full display the day before the show, as extras in historical costume mingled outside the tent where models lined up in their show looks for a rehearsal. That there was a surreal tinge to the proceedings was fitting, given that Chiuri is starring in a peculiar fashion drama of her own. For months, speculation has swirled that she will be succeeded by Jonathan Anderson, who was confirmed last month as Dior's menswear designer and is tipped to take over the women's division as well. Tuesday's show was widely seen as her swansong. While Dior officials remained tight-lipped, it was business as usual for the unflappable designer. Explaining the decision to preempt the haute couture season, which traditionally unfurls in Paris in July, she said it was down to the similarity between costume design and the production of made-to-measure outfits for Dior's wealthiest clients. 'In fact, the dialogue that took place with Tirelli wasn't done by the ready-to-wear team, but by the haute couture team. They are two languages that are more similar,' she argued. The event coincided with the official reopening of her passion project, the historic Teatro della Cometa, or Comet Theater, after a lengthy renovation. Ahead of the show, guests were treated to a teaser of the collection at the tiny horseshoe-shaped venue, in the shape of a stunning tableau vivant performed by actors in all-white ensembles. Chiuri said it was inspired by the theater's founder, art patron Mimì Pecci Blunt, and her famous Bal Blanc in 1930. In photos by Man Ray, guests are seen artfully posing in white costumes. It's what prompted Chiuri to issue a dress code for her soirée: white for women, and black for men. Guests including Natalie Portman, Camille Cottin and Rachel Brosnahan duly complied. 'I love a dress code and I think it makes everybody feel special. There is a sense of belonging and togetherness, you are part of a production, I suppose. It's like being part of a theatrical company, you are required to play a part,' said Rosamund Pike. 'I get overwhelmed with choices,' Alexandra Daddario concurred. 'I'm an actress, I've learned fashion but that was not my expertise so for me, it's wonderful to have someone as talented as Maria Grazia and Dior choose something for me.' Fellow 'White Lotus' star Sarah Catherine Hook soaked up the sea of monochrome outfits. 'I didn't know we were going to do all white and being here and seeing it, I think it's elegant and perfect for a garden show. It's kind of like a dream look, and I feel like a vintage princess,' she said. Chiuri noted that Rome has always been a 'Theatrum Mundi,' Latin for 'Theater of the World.' Dior landed in the Eternal City alongside scores of Catholic faithful from across the planet celebrating a Jubilee year and a new pope. Guests were treated to exclusive experiences, including a visit to the studio of artist Pietro Ruffo, who has collaborated with Chiuri on many of her shows; a visit to Tirelli, where seamstresses were busy running up new costumes, and a private visit to the Domus Aurea, the vast complex built by Emperor Nero. It was another show of force from Dior, which ranked as the strongest luxury and premium brand in the most recent report on the world's top 50 luxury and premium brands from consultancy Brand Finance — rising three positions from the previous year. Under Chiuri, the brand's revenues have tripled, but parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has disappointed markets in recent quarters with flagging sales amid a global slowdown in demand for luxury goods. It has appointed new creative directors at several of its marquee brands in a bid to pique consumer interest. As the first female creative director of the French fashion house, Chiuri has displayed an unerring instinct for what women want. With this atmospheric pageant, she once again proved her knack for storytelling that translates into rich store displays. While some of the craftsmanship got swamped in the magnitude of the setting, fans of the designer will lap up the unabashed femininity of a slipdress with scalloped layers dusted with beads, or the majesty of a cape dripping in gold fringe. If it does turn out to be the final clap of her nine-year tenure at Dior, Chiuri can pride herself on writing her own ending. — With contributions from Luisa Zargani Launch Gallery: Dior Cruise 2026 Collection Best of WWD Windowsen RTW Spring 2022 Louis Shengtao Chen RTW Spring 2022 Vegan Fashion Week Returns to L.A. With Nous Etudions, Vegan Tiger on the Runway
