The fashion of the island of Capri
by Andira Vitale
The world of history, cinema and fashion have always intertwined on the island of Capri, loved by divas, artists and directors. Jackie Kennedy’s trousers, Brigitte Bardot’s flats or Emperor Tiberius’ sandals are the clothes and accessories to choose from on the island that inspire stylists and fascinate directors.
Capri, the blue island in the Gulf of Naples, the most beautiful and superb of the three, has been in breach of elite tourism for almost a century. From the second half of the twentieth century, Capri became the meeting place and the world capital of the Cafè Society. An endless season of fashion parties, dinners in full dress and habits of great luxury.
Still today, Capri is a dream in the literal sense of the term, a desired destination visited by tourists worldwide. Tourists sitting in the shop window of the Piazzetta, artists and international stars strolling the island’s narrow streets who paint, write and use the energy of Capri to pour it into their next book, film or album. But particularly at the end of the 50s, Capri experienced one of the most magical moments in its history. From Gilda to Princess Margaret of England, from Agnelli to Jackie Kennedy, from Onassis to Valentino: Hollywood stars, queens, intellectuals, and millionaires choose Capri as the stage for the best part of their lives, celebrating the joy of living in the shadow of stacks.
“Fashion is not something that exists only in the form of clothes. Fashion is in the sky, in the streets; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what happens.” This is how the great stylist Coco Chanel saw it; these ideas inspired her way of life and the one in which she conceived her creations. Reflecting on these words, we cannot help but think that there are iconic places “by vocation” which offer glimpses destined to remain indissoluble in people’s minds. Capri is undoubtedly one of these: the evocative Faraglioni, the magical panorama from the terrace of the funicular, the splendid port of Marina Grande… These and other images have contributed to creating imagery that still today represents the island, and the whole of Italy, in the world.
In these years, the timeless Capri fashion was also born. Flat leather sandals, tight and calf-length trousers, preferably white.
For women, the only alternative shoes are flats, while stiletto heels should be avoided. The preferred fabric for shirts and dresses is linen. Finally, for trousers, an ad hoc model born right on the Neapolitan island, the “Caprese”, short to the ankle to be worn with coloured or striped tops. Straw or Borsalino hats, colourful jewels and diva glasses complete the dress code. There is also a particular way of wearing hair that needs to be cared for but natural: the ringlets on the island are decidedly not very chic.
As for men, it would be preferable to choose linen shirts, coloured trousers and a pair of moccasins or classic sandals on your feet. On the other hand, according to tradition, Capri Sandals also has a male protagonist, the emperor Tiberius, who chooses the island of Capri as his home in the last years of his life and arrives there with a pair of sandals on his feet. With a rigid sole and with leather strips wrapped around the ankle.
Icons of those years were Jackie Kennedy who wore the clothes of Capri fashion, or Brigitte Bardot, who arrived on the island in ‘63 to shoot Contempt, immortalized by photographers with her indispensable dancers, or Maria Callas, who did not give up her oversized glasses and dark, sitting in the bars of the square or in via Camerelle. In those years, Capri was a memorable living room where movie stars, writers, men of culture and poets intertwined their lives against the backdrop of knitwear scenarios.
The fashion world was introduced by a journalistic contest Moda e Turismo in Italia, announced in 1961 by municipalities, organisations and associations in Campania. Demonstrations were set up in the most evocative places in the region. At the same time, the island of Capri, with two Capri locals of choice – Emilio Pucci and Livio de Simone – took off. In September 1967, the first edition of Mare Moda Capri took place, which, wet from the rain, became a historic, exemplary event, the forerunner of a re-signification of the dress concept. It was organised by Rudi Crespi and Giorgio Pavone, with the collaboration of Franco Savorelli di Lauriano.
Elegant, wealthy and handsome, the wonderful Count Rudi Crespi had arrived from Brazil just after the war; He had married Consuelo O’Connor, an intriguing friend destined to remain on the list of the world’s most elegant women. Consuelo was not only an icon of excellence, but with his way of banning smoking or alcohol, he conveyed this restrained style, this attitude to transcend transgression. Direct, pragmatic, and widely imitated, he soon became Vogue America’s Italian correspondent, then Vogue USA’s fashion editor and right-hand man to the legendary Diana Vreeland.
The most active performers of Roman Dolce Vita threw unforgettable parties with the biggest stars on the world stage. They celebrated the “Countess’s Fridays” as unmissable moments of earthly nights, extremes between gossip and splendour.
Rudi Crespi brought that world to Capri over the summer, a huge success. Pucci, Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Valentino, Givenchy, Cerruti, Mila Schon, Missoni, Roberta di Camerino, Sarli, and De Simone Krizia paraded at the Certosa in Marina Piccola in Anacapri. The theatre of the Hotel Quisisana. On the catwalks, often with barefoot models, eccentric and disturbing creativity was born in fashion: light dresses, revealing skirts, chains and wide-brimmed straw hats, giant sunglasses and topless. Absolute elegance was mixed with a lousy technique for the first time, creating a new, extraordinary mix that women worldwide crave and desire.
All of this lasted until 1978, with the last edition of Mare Moda Capri, where discussions, conferences, book presentations and exhibitions were held in Capri and fashion, and the process of constructing meaning for a market segment that broke records for profitability today began. From those years and this creative yeast, the long journey to Italy, where Rudi and Consuelo Crespi were pioneers of fashion and roads, began.
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