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GOLD, SILK AND MYRRH

by Gianluca Lo Vetro

Only myrrh was missing from the lexicon of luxury of Giuliana Cella, the original creator and collector who assembles contemporary garments from scraps belonging to other periods, cultures and faraway ethnic groups. A gift of the gods in antiquity, together with gold and incense, the gummy resin which drips from the bark of the Burseracee plant now ennobles the silks of the “Queen of Ethnic-chic”, creating a veil of yellow-agate tones which release the warm light of the copper-tinted gold. A muted glow spreads throughout the entire collection. Among fleeting veils and organza. Like scented whirls of incense.

In mythology, Myrrh, the daughter of Cinereous, gives birth to Adonis, the handsome young man with whom Venus falls in love. “A legend – says Giuliana Cella – in which I enjoy believing. In order to picture my garments giving off a love for the aesthetic. To the point where I changed the  name of a gold kimono to Adonis”.

BENARES ORGANZA. Wedding veils with weavings of coppered gold and embroidery on an ivory background for wrapping capes. Successful mixes of oriental stories and western patterns. Up to the new bolero kimono, which arrives just below the breast. Garments in hand-woven and pleated organza. Folds and rays which place the accent, with a symbolic touch, on the golden glow of the collection.

GEO-ETHNIC. Bursting unexpectedly from the kimono are geometric patches of fabrics from other cultures. The resulting design creates a new “race” of figures. And of fusions.

CAMBODIAN PEASANT PANTS. Noble blends of linen  and silk. Previously unknown shantung tulle for the traditional forms of the peasant pants used in Vietnam and Cambodia.

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