Reham El-Adawi peruses a dazzling collection of the latest Italian evening and engagement gowns that are all the rage The historically significant Manial Palace overlooking the Nile relinquished its usual calm for more than two hours this week when a bevy of public figures and a flood of satellite channel cameramen gathered there to attend an awe-inspiring fashion show by Gattinoni and Ettore Bilotta, two top Italian fashion houses renowned worldwide. The show was presented by Alta Roma, a syndicated joint stock company made up of the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and the Lazio Region, in cooperation with Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture and the Italian Trade Commission in Cairo. The aim of this joint cooperation is to promote the image and culture of Rome in international fashion markets. Bilotta overwhelmed the audience with a collection of evening and engagement gowns in champagne and gold colours, followed by black and ending with an explosion of pink and green. The collection was made up mostly of long floral gowns with clean lines and a play on silhouettes, which enhance the female figure making it much taller. Embroideries, ethereal fabrics and unique workmanship methods have always characterised the glamorous couture of Bilotta Maison. For the Cairo show, Bilotta presented three new creations inspired by the charm and culture of ancient Egypt, the country's desert sand and the Pyramids' timeless appeal. Among the creations was a tulle dress embroidered with horizontal and geometric designs in black sequins resembling the wings of an eagle intended as homage to the mythical ancient god Ra. The final dress, created in fuchsia satin and white sequins, was reminiscent of ancient Egyptian tunics, creating a modern Cleopatra with a timeless mystical and mysterious appeal. The show ended with a range of designs by the Italian fashion house Gattinoni, which is one of Hollywood's first choices. When designing the new 2008 Spring/Summer haute couture collection, Guillermo Mariotto, Gattinoni's creative director, defied the conventional. "Men, women and the environment", can be the title of this latest collection reflecting his appeal to protect the environment. He made brilliant use of recycled materials, such as in evening gowns embroidered with bottle caps, metal rings, plastic, sequins, discarded hardware and remnants from the atelier. According to Mariotto, "Nothing must be wasted, everything must be recycled." His collection was created with eco-compatible, bio- ethical and bio-degradable fabrics, all sustainable technologically-innovative renewable sources. His preference for linens, cashmere, organic cottons coloured by nature and cultivated in Peru point towards his advocacy of natural material in dress. The aim of his fashion show was to enable people to take stock of what is going on, today, in the world. Like other famous personalities from the world of politics and the performing arts, such as Al Gore, Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford and Leonardo di Caprio, Mariotto is a staunch supporter of all environmental related-issues. For instance, forests annihilated by man's carelessness were shown at the Manial Palace event through a laser-made dress with origami and abstract designs, like the brush strokes made by a child. His new Spring/Summer season garments are transformable, as a tribute to those animals that are confused with nature and the surrounding environment. As an example, he designed a zebra dress, which is transformed into python skin, one giving a fish-scale effect and an evening gown knotted at the neck featuring a feather bodice. For the forthcoming S/S season, Gattinoni fashion house will be showcasing knitwear in bio-cashmere falling on the shoulders, bustieres featuring straw inlays and overcoats that are transformed into ultra-light shawls, tied on one shoulder like the corolla of an anemone; the corncob-skirt and the twill trousers that flutter like leaves in the wind, among other original ideas. Even the accessories and jewellery created explicitly for the Gattinoni fashion show by Princess Grazia Borghese are made from elements "stolen" from nature such as the pumpkins transformed into bags worked with bronze and precious stones. At the Manial Palace event, Chairman of Gattinoni's Fashion House Stefano Dominella told Al-Ahram Weekly that their creations are not targeting a specific woman, but rather women from all over the world who have vanity, sex appeal and love fashion. "All women love to be fashionable and change their style now and then to feel vivid and energetic," he said. "Fashion is freedom." Italian designers love to interact with creations and styles of designers elsewhere in the world, such as those of Lebanese designer Eli Saab. In most of their creations, Italian designers are also inspired by different cultures, using motifs from the rich Indian, Japanese, Chinese or Islamic cultures. For this summer season, green, orange, pink and white are in, which show handsomely on women with darker complexions. Tips for dressing beautifully: - Beauty comes from within, so all women can be beautiful. - Women who are after the latest fashion sometimes overdo things, which reflect their lack of self-confidence. - Women should wear what makes their bodies look slimmer and graceful, even if it's not the latest fashion.
