Giuliana Camerino
Encyclopedia
Giuliana Camerino was an Italian fashion designer who founded the Roberta di Camerino fashion house in Venice
, the only major Italian fashion brand to be based in the historic seafaring and trading city. The label is principally known for its velvet handbags, though it has also produced womenswear and shoes. Giuliana Camerino has been credited with creating the concept of the status bag
.
, starring Fred Astaire
and Ginger Rogers
. The song Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
from the film was the last song that Giulliana Camerino danced to before fleeing for Switzerland, and so she took the professional name Roberta as a memory of earlier, happy times.
Roberta di Camerino's handbags were renowned for their innovativeness. They used richly patterned and coloured fabrics that had formerly been only used for clothing. In 1946, she made a bag patterned with a trellis of R's, foreshadowing Gucci
's G's; in 1957 she made woven leather bags before Bottega Veneta
did, and in 1964, she made a handbag with an articulated frame that was later reproduced by Prada
. Although being copied upset her, Coco Chanel
reassured her, telling her not to cry about being copied, but to 'cry the day they don't copy you'.
Camerino won a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award
in 1956 in recognition of the success and influence of her handbags. Her cut-velvet bags featured brass hardware made by Venetian craftsmen, and were carried by celebrities such as Grace Kelly
, Farrah Fawcett
, and Elizabeth Taylor
. In addition to the handbags, which often featured trompe l'oeil
buckles and flaps, Roberta di Camerino also sold coats, dresses, and other clothing. Some of her fabrics were woven on antique looms, which helped support local industry in post-war Italy. The first Roberta di Camerino fashion show, held in Venice in 1949, was remembered for its theatricality.
In 1980 Camerino closed her fashion house in order to focus her energies into profitable licensing deals for ties, scarves, aprons, and wallpaper. That same year, the Whitney Museum of American Art
held an exhibition of her work Another exhibition of her work was held at the Fashion Institute of Technology museum in late 1999.
In 1996 the Roberta di Camerino label was revived, offering re-issues of their handbags, which were sold through New York department stores, including Neiman Marcus
, who, in the 1950s, had been the first American stockist of Camerino bags. In 2008, at Milan Fashion Week
, Sixty Group acquired the Roberta di Camerino label. The creative director of the label is Giorgia Scarpa, formerly of Prada
and Christian Dior
, and the general manager, Alessandro Varisco, formerly of Gianfranco Ferre
and Versace
. In order to concentrate on the luxury handbag market, Sixty Group dissolved many existing Roberta di Camerino licenses, including eyewear, knitwear, and small leather goods.
, near Venice, and died in Venice during the night of 10 May 2010. She was 89.
Giorgio Orsoni
, the Mayor of Venice, paid tribute to her as a friend and entrepreneur and an active promoter of Venice and Italian-made goods.
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, the only major Italian fashion brand to be based in the historic seafaring and trading city. The label is principally known for its velvet handbags, though it has also produced womenswear and shoes. Giuliana Camerino has been credited with creating the concept of the status bag
It Bag
It Bag is a colloquial term from the fashion industry used in the 1990s and 2000s to describe a brand or type of high-priced designer handbag by makers such as Hermès or Fendi that becomes a popular best-seller.-History:...
.
Early life
Giuliana Coen was born in 1920 into an old Jewish Venetian family. Her grandfather had a pigment factory, where Giuliana learned to match colours, and which would later become the atelier for her fashion house. She married a banker by the name of di Camerino. In 1943, to escape the persecution of Jews in Italy during the Second World War, the Camerinos fled to Switzerland where Giuliana started designing handbags for a local leather goods store.Roberta di Camerino
The fashion house Roberta di Camerino was founded in 1945 when the Camerinos returned to Italy after the War ended. It was named after the film RobertaRoberta (1935 film)
Roberta is a 1935 musical film by RKO starring Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Randolph Scott. It was an adaptation of a 1933 Broadway theatre musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the novel Gowns by Roberta by Alice Duer Miller...
, starring Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
. The song Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
from the film was the last song that Giulliana Camerino danced to before fleeing for Switzerland, and so she took the professional name Roberta as a memory of earlier, happy times.
Roberta di Camerino's handbags were renowned for their innovativeness. They used richly patterned and coloured fabrics that had formerly been only used for clothing. In 1946, she made a bag patterned with a trellis of R's, foreshadowing Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
's G's; in 1957 she made woven leather bags before Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury goods house best known for its leather goods. Founded in 1966, it was purchased in 2001 by Gucci Group, now a part of the French multinational group PPR. Bottega Veneta is headquartered in Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.- History :Bottega...
did, and in 1964, she made a handbag with an articulated frame that was later reproduced by Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
. Although being copied upset her, Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
reassured her, telling her not to cry about being copied, but to 'cry the day they don't copy you'.
Camerino won a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award
Neiman Marcus Fashion Award
The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion was a yearly award created in 1938 by Stanley Marcus. Unlike the Coty Award, it was not limited to American-based fashion designers...
in 1956 in recognition of the success and influence of her handbags. Her cut-velvet bags featured brass hardware made by Venetian craftsmen, and were carried by celebrities such as Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
, and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
. In addition to the handbags, which often featured trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
buckles and flaps, Roberta di Camerino also sold coats, dresses, and other clothing. Some of her fabrics were woven on antique looms, which helped support local industry in post-war Italy. The first Roberta di Camerino fashion show, held in Venice in 1949, was remembered for its theatricality.
In 1980 Camerino closed her fashion house in order to focus her energies into profitable licensing deals for ties, scarves, aprons, and wallpaper. That same year, the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
held an exhibition of her work Another exhibition of her work was held at the Fashion Institute of Technology museum in late 1999.
In 1996 the Roberta di Camerino label was revived, offering re-issues of their handbags, which were sold through New York department stores, including Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
, who, in the 1950s, had been the first American stockist of Camerino bags. In 2008, at Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Milan, Italy Spring/Summer event held in February - March of each year and Autumn/Winter event held in September - October of each year....
, Sixty Group acquired the Roberta di Camerino label. The creative director of the label is Giorgia Scarpa, formerly of Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
and Christian Dior
Christian Dior SA
Christian Dior S.A. is a French company which owns the high-fashion clothing producer and retailer Christian Dior Couture, as well as holding 42% of LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton, the world's largest luxury goods firm. Both Dior and LVMH are controlled and chaired by businessman Bernard...
, and the general manager, Alessandro Varisco, formerly of Gianfranco Ferre
Gianfranco Ferrè
Gianfranco Ferré was a fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design....
and Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
. In order to concentrate on the luxury handbag market, Sixty Group dissolved many existing Roberta di Camerino licenses, including eyewear, knitwear, and small leather goods.
Death
Giuliana Camerino was taken ill suddenly on IstriaIstria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, near Venice, and died in Venice during the night of 10 May 2010. She was 89.
Giorgio Orsoni
Giorgio Orsoni
Giorgio Orsoni is an Italian lawyer, politician, and the current mayor of Venice.-Biography:Orsoni is a lawyer by profession, and since 1972 has been Professor of administrative law at the University Ca 'Foscari of Venice...
, the Mayor of Venice, paid tribute to her as a friend and entrepreneur and an active promoter of Venice and Italian-made goods.
External links
- http://www.robertadicamerino.com/
- New York Times:Giuliana Camerino Is Dead at 89; Designed Coveted Handbags