SCHMOOZING: L’ELEGANZA DEL CIBO AT CHELSEA MARKET

[metaslider id=113683] It was billed as an Italian love affair between fashion and food and it did not disappoint the very well dressed crowd that showed up last night at NYC’s Chelsea Market for the debut of the L’Eleganza del Cibo exhibit. The clothes (58 haute couture and pret-a-porter dresses from 1950 on) were fabulously chic with just the right touch of whimsy from many of the best designers in Italy including Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Gucci, Gattinoni, Ferragamo, Moschino and Laura Biagiotti.

Some standouts: Giorgio Armani’s dress from his Prive’ collection inspired by the eco-sustainable bamboo plant, Etro’s digitally designed images of strikingly colorful Italian banquets abounding in shellfish and pasta, Gattinoni’s “Bread Suit” using wheat sheaves for its bustier and glazed biscuits for the pants. I also loved Ken Scott’s creations using colorful prints of asparagus, peas, artichokes, and apples.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the relationship between food and fashion”, says Stefano Dominella, curator of the exhibit and CEO of Gattinoni. “On one hand food nurtures the body, on the other, fashion stimulates the imagination and self-expression. It’s from the mood of this ‘Culinary Dolce Vita’ that I conceived the idea to combine fashion and food, both to smile at this ‘odd couple’ as well as to deepen the many nuances connected to them, including their ties to nature and the environment.”

“L’Eleganza del Cibo, adds Italian Trade Commissioner Maurizio Forte, “is part of the Special Plan that the Italian government has launched to promote and import our fashion and food in the United States. This exhibit offers a great opportunity to present, for the first time in the U.S, the fascinating liaison between two key assets of our Extraordinary Italian Style.”

The exhibition will run at Chelsea Market from June 24 – July 4.