MILAN — Blumarine’s Anna Molinari is often dubbed “the queen of roses” — a nickname given to her by Beppe Modenese, honorary chairman of the Italian chamber of fashion, because of the designer’s passion for the flower, which she reproduced in a plethora of looks over the years.
It is only fitting then that the book “Anna Molinari Blumarine,” published by Rizzoli and to be launched in March, begins with a fairy tale by Molinari’s friend Elena Loewenthal called “Queen of Roses.” The book marks the brand’s 40th anniversary and will be feted with a dinner on Feb. 25 during Milan Fashion Week.
The book spans from Molinari’s early family life in Carpi and her falling in love “at first sight” with Gianpaolo Tarabini Castellani — including a heart-shaped tattoo on the back of her wrist which did not go down well with her father — to her deep-rooted passion for knitwear, developed first through a small family workshop working for other designers, then through a factory, called the Molly, and finally through Blumarine, founded in 1977. “Blue. Blue like the sea, Blumarine. That’s what we’ll call ourselves,” said Tarabini when the couple, then married, decided to do “something for [themselves],” staring at the sea in Tuscany’s beach town Forte dei Marmi from their family house.
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“I began to go around to the most stylish shops, especially in Milan. I would go in, pretend I wanted to buy something and take a look around. Then I would show them my creations! Was I being cheeky? Maybe. But I was also tenacious and determined. And it worked!” says Molinari in the book.
The designer underscores the “small industrial revolution in Carpi,” a 50-minute drive from Bologna, “where many women had opened factories, taking their destinies into their own hands and becoming successful entrepreneurs.” At the trade show Modit in 1980, Molinari presented her hand-embroidered pieces “with a thousand shades of rose,” which helped her be proclaimed “stylist of the year.”
“What new elements did I bring to that world? My roses, first and foremost. Flowers are one of the most beautiful things in creation. To me, they symbolize feminine beauty, grace and energy, encapsulated in a single, marvelous entity. Every woman is a bit like that: fragile and strong at the same time.”
When speaking of her first fashion show held in Venice, Molinari pays tribute to the late Walter Albini for helping her understand sewing and tailoring. “I will never forget what he meant to me, in the months leading up to the show,” she writes.
“I was young, a novice who was eager to learn and determined to go all the way, to fully enter the world of women’s fashion, which was dominated by men. The great designers all belonged to the stronger sex: Armani, Versace, Moschino, Ferrè, Valentino.”
Molinari also remembers her work and friendship with the late Franco Moschino — and the time shoes disappeared during a journey from Carpi to Milan ahead of their first fashion show together.
Molinari highlights the advice of the late Manuela Pavesi, who “suggested advertising using big names from the world of photography,” starting with Albert Watson.
The book includes 300 photos and the visual story of Blumarine is illustrated with images from legendary photographers such as Tim Walker, Mark Seliger, Helmut Newton, Juergen Teller, Craig McDean and Pamela Hanson, capturing models ranging from Kate Moss and Helena Christensen to Milla Jovovich, Naomi Campbell, Carré Otis, Eva Herzigova, Monica Bellucci and Beatrice Borromeo, now married to Andrea Casiraghi of Monaco.
Molinari’s family life and her love for her children Rossella and Gianguido are a leitmotif throughout the story, until the tragic death of her husband in Africa in 2006 during a safari.
The 304-page tome is edited by fashion curator Maria Luisa Frisa, professor at IUAV University of Venice.