Ex Nihilo: Personalized Perfumes
PARIS–It all starts in a narrow street at dusk, when the sweet neroli flowers fill the air. Then the saffron and the nutmeg are evidenced and…
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Donia Allegue’s House of Turbans
PARIS–Just a few steps from Champs-Élysées, Donia Allegue’s atelier of turbans invites you in like an old-school ladies’ sitting room. The array of mannequins topped with elaborate head pieces —…
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VIDEO SPECIAL: Romain Brau and Kevin Auger’s Bygone Beauties
At the foot of Montmartre, in his new studio, in the basement of a Haussmanien building, Romain Brau and his crew are working on his next fashion show. He…
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Cavalli e Nastri: Masterpiece Vintage
MILAN–It’s a busy, hot Thursday afternoon in Milan’s upscale Brera district, and Benedetta Jesi of Cavalli e Nastri vintage has a black lace nightgown…
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Silvana Venturini’s American Dream
PARMA–Silvana Venturini is an archaeologist who decided that her passion would become a job. Or a sort of. Her interest for antiques, objects and bijoux,…
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Paolo Crescimbeni: Culture of Travel
PARMA–“I have a passion for vintage luggage from 1860 to 1950, from the carriage to the first airplane, when volumes changed shape,” said Paolo Crescimbeni, a…
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BRUNELLO CUCINELLI: The Solomeo School
Solomeo, Italy –“When we started the school we never thought that the demand would be so high,” said Brunello Cucinelli, founder the eponymous brand that has…
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GHERARDINI: Preserving Icons
Scandicci, Italy–Alessio Brandi, Gherardini’s 70 year old master purse maker has been trying to work less and spend more time with his grandchildren, but…
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Marta Ferri: The Contemporary Atelier
MILAN–Marta Ferri, the 31-year-old designer famous for her whimsical, feminine skirts, is one of the most prominent young designer-artisans in Italy. A perfect combination of the artisan’s…
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Lorenzo Borghi: Old School Milliner
MILAN–Just steps away from the gothic spires of Milan’s Duomo, 74-year-old Lorenzo Borghi, works in a dim studio overlooking an ornate Milanese courtyard built…
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