Gossip magazines, television and the Internet have brought to our attention some of the most depressing images of celebrities we could have ever seen. Amy Winehouse's life has for instance been dissected in its seediest bits on thousands of magazines and sites through the images taken by the paparazzi.
Just a couple of days ago, as somebody sitting next to me on the London Underground opened the umpteenth tabloid with the umpteenth picture of a celebrity, I thought 'Why aren't designers taking inspiration from the paparazzi to create a collection, a garment or even a pair of shoes à la Dal Cò?' I've been trying to find an answer to this question for a while now, but I still haven't managed to.
Paparazzi were officially born with Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960), though in the '50s the central streets of Rome were already full of photographers taking pictures of various celebrities passing through the Italian capital. A few examples: on 15th August 1958 a young photo reporter, Tazio Secchiaroli, saw King Farouk of Egypt sitting at the Cafè of Paris in Rome's Via Veneto with Irma Capece Minutolo and another woman. Tazio took a couple of pictures, King Farouk slapped him and a big riot ensued, chronicled by a colleague of Tazio. Shortly afterwards, Tazio went to the Brik Top, a nightclub where he took pictures of Ava Gardner and Anthony Franciosa flirting in the darkness. A new riot broke out, but, in a way, it was worth it as, while getting out of the club, Tazio bumped into Anita Ekberg dragging back to her hotel her drunk husband Anthony Steel. Secchiaroli took some pictures that appeared on many newspapers the next morning.
Soon Secchiaroli became popular and carved a career out of taking seminal pictures such as Aiché Nana's striptease at Rome's Rugantino. Fellini called Secchiaroli to collaborate with him on the set of La Dolce Vita, the film features a photo reporter called Paparazzo, a surname taken by screenwriter Ennio Flaiano and Fellini from Coriolano Paparazzo, a landlord mentioned by George Gissing's in his By the Ionian Sea.
Fellini wasn't the only one who was inspired by the paparazzi: it was with the celebrity photographers in mind that shoemaker Alberto Dal Cò created a very special pair of shoes. Dal Cò was the uncle of the three Fontana Sisters, like them he had followed the family's migratory wave and had left Traversetolo and moved to Rome. Here he met great success while working for the three sisters, and for the great griffes of Italian fashion such as Schuberth, Fabiani and Carosa. His custom-made shoes often featured beautiful embroideries that matched the creations of the various designers he collaborated with. For Ava Gardner Dal Cò created in 1953 the "Paparazzo" shoes: the actress was often followed by photographers willing to wait for hours wherever she went, hoping to find her in the company of her husband Frank Sinatra or of her boyfriend Walter Chiari. The "Paparazzo" model was very special: it had a slightly curved up point and its heel featured a small, toothed wheel that, if skilfully used, could wound and therefore drive away the paparazzi. Dal Cò also created fanciful shoes with a heel in the form of a crystal chandelier or in the shape of a question mark. His extraordinary works showed his creativity and predilection for avant-garde designs.
I think the paparazzo shoe would meet nowadays the favours of many celebrities out there, in fact I think that some designers should patent it. In the meantime, if you feel you were inspired by this post and by the two previous posts about photography and you happen to be in Paris don't miss the exhibition "Erich Salomon, Le roi des indiscrets, 1928-1938" that opened a few days ago at the Jeu de Pomme Museum. Salomon became famous for being the first "paparazzo" photographer of the 1900s. He took pictures of ambassadors, politicians, actors and actresses. The title of the exhibition comes from a 1931 picture of Aristide Briand pointing his finger at Erich Salomon stating “Et voilà! Le roi des indiscrets”.
If, rather than going to see the exhibition, you fancy getting a new version of the "Paparazzo" shoes, try contacting the Dal Cò shop, in Via Vittoria 65, Rome. I'm sure they won't refuse you to reproduce one of their most famous and iconic models.
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