DEATH OF A LEGEND

ANNA, PIAGGI

1931-2012

One of my last icons of beauty, effervescence and inventiveness has passed.  The height of glamorous eccentricity, her wardrobe was not the normal interlude between nakedness and the outside world, but a life's work.
Known for her fashion writing, namely VOGUE ITALIA (think fantastical double page spreads), vibrant dress sense – including funky hats and theatrical makeup – made her stand out on the front rows of Milan and Paris runway shows.
Vogue Italia said on its website that she died in Milan, (Vogue Italia doesn't give out causes of death). 

What I loved most about her style was her knowledge and confidence... she looked stylish - not batty or silly. It was her eccentricity mixed with a couture sensibility that was so inspiring.

She provided inspiration for my good friend Karl Lagerfeld, who published a sketchbook of her creations and once wrote "Anna invents fashion."

In 2006,  London’s V&A Museum staged an exhibition titled Anna Piaggi Fashion-ology. Displaying pieces from her extensive collection – 265 pairs of shoes, 29 fans, 932 hats, 2,865 dresses, 24 aprons and 31 feather boas – alongside drawings, photographs and storyboards documenting her working style, and a film opening the door to her home. In the catalogue, Jefferson Hack wrote a pretty damn cute list of “13 Things I Thought You Should Know about Anna Piaggi”, which i am copy'in and pastin' in her honour. Wonder why 13? Anyway, here they are.

1. A.P. claims that the work she does for Italian Vogue is, “purely decorative”.

2. A.P. has an Olivetti Valentino typewriter she bought in the 1980’s. There is a copy of it in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. It has lost its number 9.

3. A.P. sees many things repeated in fashion but understands that the carbon copy from a typewriter has a different look and feel from the original.

4. A.P. has written over 7,000 editorial pages in her career.

5. A.P. is as deft as a die. She doesn’t suffer from amnesia but can easily adopt the look of amnesia if bored.
6. A.P. is unable to distinguish between what’s serious and what’s funny as she can be seriously funny.

7. A.P. was married for over thirty years to Alfa Castaldi who passed away in 1995. She believes that in successful relationships you have to “enjoy each other’s noise”.

8. A.P. “A silent movie star” is how Karl Lagerfeld described her. He has over 200 sketches of her, which he drew when Anna lived in Paris.

9. A.P. often used to research locations prior to attending an opening or event. She regarded this process as a form of “visual preparation” – essential planning for her outfit.

10. A.P.’s anachronistic approach to fashion is more a ‘knack’ than an act of anarchism.

11. A.P.’s first name is a palindrome but her analysis of culture is not to look backwards only forwards, to the newness of now.

12. A.P. squeezes reviews into a few words: synthesising trends and fashion ideas into new forms. New expressions. She is a crossword without clues.

13. A.P. is at this moment in time into the idea of superficial advancement. But as we know this moment has just passed.

14. (this is mine, so deserves a mention!)

In 1978, at Paloma Picasso's wedding, Piaggi's feathered hat had burst into flames as she sashayed past a lit candelabra!!!!!

In my eyes, Other ageless, other-worldly creatures who mixed history and modernism is Marchesa Casati and Vali Myers. Bless them all X.

Vali Myers
When Im 81 years old, I want to be like all of them, with a million rings on my fingers, 20 hats on my head,a circular spot of clementine rouge on each cheek, aquamarine shadow surrounding my eyes, loads of colour-schemed animals. Oh, and let's not forget those mismatched shoes, the leopard print clutch and a hot pink Prada stole.

Marchesa Casati