Un paio di cose

L'ultima volta che ho scritto era una mite domenica di maggio inglese ed ora a distanza di due mesi e mezzo riprendo un po' il filo del discorso. Sono stata assente principalmente perche' il mio pc ha deciso di andare in pensione e soprattutto perche' sono appena uscita da una bella fusione di dipartimenti all'universita' dove lavoro...insomma tagli di posti di lavoro e lettere di licenziamento come se piovesse.

Ma la buona notizia e' che la sottoscritta ha fatto un culo cosi' ai rivali inglesi e dopo due colloqui, due prove scritte e un gioco di ruolo (ahah) si e' portata a casa un contratto permanent e full time.

Waiting for the interview - Rochester

Me VS my former line manager after the results

Questa fase ha riempito a tal punto i miei pensieri che
a) ho avuto un rigetto dalla macchina da cucire (vedro' di recuperare!)
b) ho lasciato un po' perdere i preparativi per il mio matrimonio (sto recuperando!).

Si, ecco l'altra cosa che dovevo dire, tra un mese mi sposo!

Friday Fav: Fortuny

My Friday Fav today is Mariano Fortuny and his magnificent and sumptuous silk dresses, cloaks and medieval style robes.

I really love this artist because his fame and art are closely linked with Venice despite his name reveals its Spanish origin: he was born in Granada on 11 May 1871 and he spent his childhood between Rome, a little town near Naples and Paris. Fortuny was just eighteen when his family moved to Venice, in a palace in the Canareggio and soon he started to love the new place, its architecture, the oriental atmosphere of the city and the work of Venetian Renaissance painters such as Bellini, Titian, Veronese and Giorgione: all these elements influenced his dress design and his friends said that he spoke Venetian better than Italian.

At the age of forty he threw totally himself into fashion design, after devoting his life to photography, painting and sculpture. His name is connected with the thin pleated silk dress but we must not forget that the Fortuny style was the result of a collaboration between him and the French modell Henriette Negrin. They spent forty-seven happy years together in Venice and in 1909 they opened the first Fortuny boutique in Palazzo Orfei, later renamed Palazzo Fortuny. They worked in this way: he invented the pleated look and the dyeing process while Henriette picked out the patterns and block-printed the patterns of the dresses.

It is important to remark that Fortuny was not a couturier because he did not present an annual collection but he was interested in reaching a big and romantic purpose: a timeless ideal form of beauty.

The "Delphos" dress, the most famous icon of his style, was cut out flat in one piece, than the imported Japanese folded silk laid on heated porcelain tubes fixing permanently the tight pleats with the help of Chinese crystallized egg white. The result was a pressed dress that recalled the idealized "flower-woman" and the "Delphi Charioteer", from ancient Greece. Every single dress had the shoulders and seams accentuated with Murano glass beads, made specially for Fortuny. The success of Fortuny's creations lasted from 1910 until the Forties.

It is today already possible to breathe and feel its power and creativity visiting Palazzo Fortuny in Venice. I went there a couple of years ago and I can assure that the "primo piano nobile" (first reception hall) had a powerful impact on me. I found his fabrics, collections, paintings and dresses simply amazing.

Polina

When I decide to go to the city centre I walk by a fabric shop. Everytime I promise myself "this time you don't need anything". It was not until I saw the shop window packed with beautiful fabrics and I just can't help loving it.
Well, this time I bought a lovely printed cotton with a lot of hummingbirds.
I created the lovely handbag Polina H. and I adorned it with a pretry lace. I'm very satisfied and I'm proud to put Polina on my online store.
Have a great weekend

Quando vado a fare la spesa in centro città mi capita spesso di passare davanti a un negozio di stoffe. Ogni volta mi prometto che non ci devo entrare ma appena vedo l'insegna e le fantastiche stoffe esposte mi sento attirata dentro tipo oggetto in prossimità di un buco nero.
Questa volta sono uscita dal negozio tutta soddisfatta con un tessuto rosa punteggiato di mille colibrì che volano circondati da romantici fiocchetti bianchi.
Con il mio nuovissimo cotone stampato ho così creato la spensierata borsa Polina H. L'ho abbellita anche con due pizzi bianchi ricamati con delicati motivi floreali sul bordo. Devo ammettere che sono molto soddisfatta del risultato e sono fiera di pubblicarla anche nel negozio online.
Buon weekend ;)

Listening Toyface 'Beige Walls 

Campagnola life

Non è un periodo molto semplice per me e la mia famiglia e nelle prossime settimane dovrò letteralmente modificare i miei piani. Purtroppo mia madre non se la passa bene e così mi sono trasferita di nuovo in casa dei miei, per occuparmi delle faccende quotidiane e accudire i miei nonni. Tra le varie mansioni casalinghe che mi aspettano ogni giorno c'è quella di prendermi cura dell'orto.

Guardate quante belle verdure io e mio nonno abbiamo raccolto. C'è di tutto: fagiolini, melanzane, peperoni, carote, insalata, pomodorini e una cassetta di pesche. Tutto bio e tutto delizioso!

It isn't a very simple period for me and my family and I'll have change my plans for next weeks. Unfortunately my mother is sick and so I moved back to my parents' house to take care of daily chores and take care of my grandparents. Among the household tasks I had to take care of the garden.

Look how many beautiful vegetables my grandfather and I have collected. There's everything: green beans, eggplant, peppers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and a box of peaches. All organic and all delicious-ious!