"The Peroni Collection - Italian Style on the Silver Screen" opened yesterday in London and with this post I would like to say thanks to all the people and friends who turned up.
Most of the visitors were intrigued by some of the shoes exhibited, so I'm publishing today on the blog a short interview that I did exclusively for the event with Silvia Dal Co'-Petrucci, grand-daughter of Alberto Dal Co' and manager of the family's company.
The exhibition features three Dal Co' shoes, the famous paparazzo shoes with their slightly curved up point and heel featuring a small, toothed metal wheel; a silk satin slipper with pearls (both from 1953) and a red court shoe with Richelieu and reticella lace embroidery inserts (late ‘50s). The three shoes are perfect examples of Dal Co’s constant search for beauty, elegance and high quality.
What kind of memories and emotions do the paparazzo shoes bring back?
Silvia Dal Co': Seeing these shoes always brings back some strong emotions. My grandfather died when I was a young child, but, since in the early days of his shop he used to make by hand all his designs, I can almost detect his touch upon these iconic shoes. My grandfather loved spending time in his workshop, because that was his private universe in which he created his pieces, giving free rein to his imagination. The “paparazzo” shoes represent my grandfather, they are his signature.
All the Dal Co' shoes are very light, even the bejewelled ones with pearls: how do you manage to make them so light?
Silvia Dal Co': Lightness is the key to our shoes: if you compare one of our platform shoes with an ordinary platform shoe you find on the market, you will be surprised by the difference in their weight. We use very light materials and employ special techniques to assemble them. As a child these shoes reminded me a lot of princesses such as Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari and Farah Dibah Pahlavi. They called to mind fable-like atmospheres à la Cinderella.
Do you remember ever seeing any famous actresses in your family's shop?
Silvia Dal Co': Yes, I do. I remember for example Gina Lollobrigida who often seemed to opt for rather strong styles. One day, between the end of the ‘60s and the early ‘70s, she visited the shop and bought a pair of orange patent leather knee-high boots. They were the complete opposite of the delicate slippers decorated with pearls!
The red shoes with Richelieu lace remind me a lot of the shoes Brigitte Bardot is holding in one of the picture taken from the Dal Co' archive that we featured in the exhibition, don't you think so?
Silvia Dal Co': Yes, that's correct. I would say they also remind me of the style Sophia Loren used to favour. They are classic court shoes characterised by essential silhouettes, clean lines and a stiletto heel. In my opinion they represent the epitome of elegance of a highly refined style. We recently recreated these shoes for our current collection. At the moment we are trying to relaunch this style, even though it's a bit difficult because customers are into strong and excessive looks that too often do not even allow you to walk gracefully and comfortably.
Are you working on any special projects at the moment?
Silvia Dal Co': A friend of mine brought back from Jaipur some wonderful sari borders and we are working out ways to incorporate them in our sandals.
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