Diabolik and Eva Kant Passed Passport Control |

I will catch up with what has been going on at Paris Fashion Week in the next few days/weeks.

At the moment I'm indeed in Philadelphia for the Fashion in Fiction conference.

My talk about Diabolik is scheduled on Saturday afternoon and I must admit that, before leaving, I was a bit worried about what American Customs may have thought about the copies of the comic book stored in my case.

Were they going to think I was some kind of serial killer, thief or robber? Luckily they didn't and Diabolik and Eva Kant passed passport and Customs control no problem.

A thief, a murderer and a criminal mastermind: this is how Diabolik, one of the most famous comic book characters and anti-heroes ever created in Italy may indeed be defined.

Written in 1962 by two elegant and well-read sisters, Angela and Luciana Giussani, the Diabolik comic book spawned an entirely new genre suspended between thriller, horror and noir.

Often censored for its violence, criticised by prissy moralists for the relationship the main character entertained with his sensual partner Eva Kant, the comic book became a cult hit abroad also thanks to Mario Bava’s quintessential ‘60s film Danger: Diabolik.

Starting with an exploration of the dark and violent atmospheres of the comic book and of the main themes that had at the time an impact on Italian society, style and fashion, my lecture will then explore the glamorous aesthetics of Mario Bava’s film.

Chronicling the adventures of anti-hero Diabolik (John Phillip Law), a dark criminal madly in love with his glamorous girlfriend Eva Kant (Marisa Mell), Danger: Diabolik is a fantastic vision of the Sixties.

Despite its violent subject, the film is to be considered as a Pop Art manifesto. Bava set up his shots in a way that emulated comics and Diabolik and Eva move in a futuristic environment characterised by sinuous architectures (some parts of the sets were borrowed from the Barbarella film) while the precise interior designs à la Joe Colombo feature stainless steel and plastic elements.

Also the costumes in the film reflect a mood of technological optimism: Eva’s wardrobe borrows in some cases from Paco Rabanne’s designs (costumes for Diabolik are usually credited to Luciana Marinucci, but also Giulio Coltellacci – the costume designer who came up with Courregesian creations for Elio Petri’s La decima vittima – worked on them), while the male actors’ suits in the film were designed by Bruno Piattelli, one of the most famous Rome-based tailors in the 60s.

The lecture will also explore the use of colours: the comic book was printed in black and white with a colourful cover, but Mario Bava’s visionary mind deeply transformed the darkest atmospheres of the comic book using vivid colours, such as yellow, a reference to the “giallo” genre (in Italian “giallo” literally means “yellow”, but the term usually describes crime novels and books).

Bava’s film influenced many generations of directors, while Diabolik turned into an inspiration for many fashion designers.

In a photoshoot by Guy Bourdin that appeared in Vogue France in December 1979, the legendary photographer portrayed a mysterious female figure clad in a black bodysuit and wearing brightly coloured face paint stealing precious jewels.

D&G’s Autumn/Winter 2007-08 menswear collection was instead mainly based on black but it also featured jackets and accessories in bold shades of yellow, red and electric blue with bright splashes of gold, while Dolce & Gabbana’s Autumn/Winter 2008-09 included tight shirts and sweatshirts with prints taken from the Diabolik comic book and narrow ties inspired by the anti-hero’s style.

The Italian design duo often claimed Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen represents for them an incarnation of sensual Eva Kant.

The grommet designs that Eva wears in the film resurfaced quite a few times in fashion: in the 90s I Love Diamonds created a pair of grommeted sandals; grommeted jackets reappeared in L.A.M.B. and Givenchy’s 2007 and 2008 collections, while John Richmond's Autumn/Winter 2010 collection features grommeted boots and the motif is also featured in the leather collars and belts of Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

The Italian brand Sisley created a Diabolik line for the Spring/Summer 2010 season featuring T-shirts and tops with images taken from the Giussani comic.

During Prada’s Autumn/Winter 2010 catwalk show, the perfectly upswept hairstyles of the models called to mind the look of strong women such as Jeanne Moreau in Eva and Eva Kant in the Giussani comic, while the 60s silhouettes, topiary-style ruffles, ruches and lace appliquéd around the chest area or cut out motifs under the breasts, were reminiscent of some of the dresses worn by Eva Kant in the Diabolik comic.

A while back, footwear designer Ruthie Davis told me in an interview about her Spring/Summer 09 collection that her “Pop” ankle strap sandals with translucent heels and fluo colours were a homage to Pop Art and Diabolik’s heroine Eva Kant.

In her words: “The bright colours used in the film totally inspired me, in fact I have an original Italian Danger: Diabolik movie poster in my office right above my desk. It is huge and it has all of these vivid colours, it’s like my Bible. My muse is actually Diabolik’s partner, Eva Kant. In the Mario Bava movie Eva is a totally Mod, chic and hip 60s chick and I always picture my shoes on her. I think the Mario Bava film is beyond fashionable, it is in every way gorgeous, sexy, tasteful, innovative and appealing on so many levels. I am obsessed with the gold punch-out bikini Eva wears in the film and designed a pump inspired by it that featured grommets and a wedge made out of titanium. I also have designed numerous shoes directly inspired by the movie, Eva’s outfits and her overall look.“

Designed like a glamorous and adventurous journey with dark undertones, my lecture will try to find links between an iconic comic book and a film that deeply influenced fashion, style and cinema and I hope my audience will enjoy it!

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