The Big One… French v Italian Fashion, by Lucy O’Donnell

 

If we think about European fashion, obviously the Italians and the French stand out: Armani, Chanel, Dior,  Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci,  Hermes,  Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and so on. They are the best in the world, with their detail to design, craftsmanship, textiles, leathers and style. It is this last detail that I would like to explore. The diversity of each country’s style seen through key fashion elements; the cultural significance and what the word ‘Style’ means to each person. Let’s start with Italy. When we think of Italian fashion, handbags, shoes, leather and the words bold and elegant come to mind. The Italians would give their soul for the latest IN bag, coat or pair of shoes. One can have a good heart and soul, but that’s worth nothing if you don’t have an impeccable sense of style, the right hairstyle and make a fantastic fashion statement. Roman and Milanese women for example strut the streets of their cities with utter self- confidence and elegance;  just watching them  make their way through the Galleria or crowded Via dei Condotti, walking into Prada  or Valentino and carefully eyeing every item in the store, you realise they have almost as much pleasure as actually buying something in the store! The Italiane always and I mean ALWAYS, match. Everything they wear goes with everything. The shoes, the belt, the bag go together perfectly. Their make- up and hair style also tie in. They never mismatch colours and have something that distinguishes one designer from another.  

Having briefly outlined the epitome of the Italian persona when it comes to fashion, let’s look at a couple of Italian fashion houses, which is where it all started. 

 

Gucci: First opened in Florence in 1921 by Guccio Gucci (Poor man, what parents would do that?), and today has a revenue of 4.2 Billion.                    
Artistic Directors Tom Ford, and currently Frida Giannini have flourished under Gucci, modelling its style to what it is today. Gucci, famous for its double ‘G’s’ and green and red stripes, is a Must in an Italian’s wardrobe-starting with the ‘Jackie O’ bag. The fashion house, is known for its craftsmanship in leather so the shoes and bags make me (Italian raised) salivate whenever I see one!

 

 

Then there is Valentino: Valentino Garavani started designing in Paris under Jacques Fath, afterwards he moved on to Balenciaga, Jean Desses and Guy Laroche. He moved back to Rome in 1959 and opened his first store on Via dei Condotti, which has been there ever since. By the mid 1960’s he was considered the Italian fashion Maestro, won the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award (The fashion equivalent of the Oscars) and had A list clients such as Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Onassis.

Valentino went on to open stores world- wide and continued designing his famous ‘red dresses’. He retired in January 2008, leaving the role of creative director divided between Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli but not before showing his entire collections at the ‘Museo dell’Ara Pacis’ in Rome in 2007. The exhibition brought fashionistas from all over the world (myself included)! It was amazing - every beautiful item he had ever created was in the one building! And once again, as a properly trained Italianised woman, I found myself gasping in awe at the beauty and intricacy! The Italian way of life revolves around style, elegance and fashion. On weekend afternoons, after lunch and a ‘siesta’, flocks of people head toward the centre of the city to walk the streets and absorb the life and vibrancy it has to offer. Whether it be friends, families and their children, couples or singles, everyone is out and about. You can’t ignore the thousands out window shopping, It is entertaining to watch women walking out of stores with dozens of bags and various maxed out credit cards, raving about their new Prada, or how this Fendi bag will go with the Bulgari necklace they bought last week! Personally I love it, even if I do only spend thousands in my head- it’s just the way I grew up!

 

France…Paris…Yves Saint Laurent… Hermes (and Birkin bags).…Louis Vuitton….Les Champs Elysees.. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré….. Rue Saint-Honoré.….Chanel …more Birkin bags!! The more I think about it, the more I yearn for Paris and realise I am thousands of kilometres away.                                              When it comes to fashion, the French think they are superior, even more than the Italians do. They just put this with that, whether it be a pair of Louboutins with jeans and a Bulgari necklace and off they go. They have an innate sense of style which is quite different to the Italians. While I was living there, I found myself on numerous occasions being gobsmacked by snooty Parisian women walking into Hermes, and then walking back out with not one, not two, but THREE birkin bags, and at 20k each (and a waiting list of months), who could keep up? (The Birkin bag is handmade in leather by Hermès and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public. Its prices range from $9,000 to $150,000 (being the red croc one). Costs escalate according to the materials. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and exclusivity. 

 

 

They could easily then go straight into Adidas and buy a pair of joggers, which obviously they would wear with the Birkin. (And as a true Italian, the words- ‘What on earth ???’ come to mind) but they would pull it off and look smashing. Their sense of style is so different to the Italian…perhaps, generally a little more reserved, not as bold but, it works well for them! From A to Z they will have it all, even if they can’t eat for the rest of their (stick thin but healthy) lives.  Moving on, (sense tone of envy), let’s consider the French classic fashion house, Chanel, from early days to modern times (even in Italian eyes the top French houses are considered places of worship). 

 

The absolute classic – Chanel  –  Gabrielle  ‘Coco’ Chanel changed the world view  of modern fashion for women. She began in 1909, opening a shop on the ground floor of Etienne Balsan’s apartment in Paris. His home was a meeting place for the hunting elite of France and the gentlemen would bring their fashionable mistresses along, giving Chanel an opportunity to sell decorated hats. During this time she had a good friendship with Arthur Capel, a member of the hunting society. He saw a business woman in CoCo, and helped her buy the legendary location of 31 Rue Cambon in Paris in 1910.

 

In 1921, her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, was created by Earnest Beaux after her lucky number 5. The two piece suit was designed in the 1920’s, and relaunched in the early 50’s, becoming less rudimentary and being adorned with long strings of black and white pearls; borderline feminine, thus competing with the ‘new look’ of Christian Dior. Coco died in 1971, leaving the artistic direction to Yvonne Dudel, Jean Cazaubon and Philippe Guibourge. Karl Lagerfeld, today considered the fashion ‘padrino’ took over as chief designer in 1983 after finishing off with house Chloe.  



  

His arrival at Chanel was drastic. He changed the older lines to shorter cuts and eye capturing designs.Today, Lagerfeld still leads the empire, creating the most amazing fashion shows in the Grand Palais of Paris (another reason why the French think they are the top). Every season he creates byzantine palaces, alien landscapes, plane flights and ‘under the sea’ themes. 

 

So whether you like the bold, elegant Italian styles or the smart, svelte lines of the French, rest assured, they have the fashion game sewn up and choosing an item from any of these designer labels is selecting a little work of art!