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Archive for the 'Fashion' Category

Jul

Break Out the Togas! It’s Caesar’s Birthday!

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Humor, Past & Present, Fashion and Everything Else

Caesar Costumes

Break out the togas, folks! It’s Julius Caesar’s birthday! On the official calendar of ancient Rome, the old man turns 2018 today!

(If, that is, you believe that he was born in 100 BC. Others, who maintain that he was born in 102 BC, will be celebrating his 2020th birthday today. Whatever.)

It’s going to be a year of Caesarian fun here in Rome, as a huge exhibition dedicated solely to Caesar will be opening in the Cloister of Bramante on 24 October and will remain on exhibit until 5 April 2009.

But, here at the eCool Compound we just can’t wait to Caesar the Day, so we’re planning a imperial-scale birthday party and dictating that our guests show up in ancient Roman garb. Of course, that means we’d better have some amazing ancient threads ourselves, so we’ve spent a bit of time investigating the costumes for sale online and thought we’d share the results with you, our faithful readers.

Caesar Wigs & Cleopatra Hair

Though we’ve browsed through costume sites before, we’ll readily admit that never before have we so delved deeply into the Costume Craze website, which offers a vast assortment of ancient Roman outfits and accessories.

In the category of Julius Caesar (see top photo), we show you just a few of the possibilities, including (from left to right) a Plus Size Julius Caesar costume ($36.95), the Caesar-as-Orator outfit which is based on a look sported by Caesar in HBO’s ROME series and includes some totally sexy wrist cuffs ($51.95), an adult Julius Caesar costume ($36.95), and the Deluxe Julius Caesar Look ($129.95). Children’s sizes are also available.

If you’re not willing to go all out and have your hair cut in the Caesarian fringe, you might also want to invest in the Caesar wig (above), which comes in both black and brown (what color was his hair anyway?) and will run you an additional $17.95.

And for the women? Costume Craze carries a Wife of Caesar outfit that’s a bit too staid and stiff for our taste, so we’ve concentrated our energies on the Cleopatra costumes. If you’re already in possession of an elegant Egyptian evening gown, then you might want to invest in the headdress alone (above). There’s a whole variety of Cleopatra coiffures available on Costume Craze. The extra-regal Asp Beaded Headdress we show you above runs a mere $17.95, while the more generic and everyday Mesh Cleopatra Costume Headdress is $19.95.

Need the whole look? In this department too, Costume Craze has a great deal of choice, from the children’s Cleo costume to the Plus Size Queen of the Nile outfit. We show you four of our favorites below, from left to right: the Adult Super Deluxe Cleopatra Costume ($129.95), the Cleopatra Queen of the Nile Outfit ($41.95), the Adult Cleopatra Costume ($31.95), and best of all, the Adult Sexy Cleopatra Costume ($39.95).

Cleopatra Costumes

Jul

Jesus! Look at the Time!

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Fashion

Watch by Fred

Living here in Rome, we see our fair share of wacky religious products–both those intended for devotees and those aimed at a slightly more skeptical audience. But, even from this center of religious retail, Fred Worldwide’s new Jesus, Look at the Time Watch is a standout.

Buy it here.

Jun

Street Cred for Holy Rollers

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Fashion and Art & Design

Vatican Hoodie by Upper Playground

There’s a skateboard shop on Rome’s Viale Trastevere that has a certain kind of street chic that we don’t see much in this hood. Always fans of that street smart look (even if we don’t sport it ourselves), we wander by now and then just to see what’s new and cool.

A few months ago, certain members of the eCool team thought they’d skated right into heaven when they spied the “Mugshot” Hoodie by Upper Playground in the shop window. (You’ll have to click above to see it. Try as we might, we couldn’t come up with a reason to eCool it. They just didn’t include enough Italian crooks in the mix–not that there’s a shortage, especially in Parliament, as Beppe Grillo has let us know.)

But this weekend, a new level of bliss was provoked when the skaties showcased another Upper Playground Hoodie in their window, this one called “Vatican.” You won’t have to study the photos above long to see why we’re in seventh heaven. The print is a fabulous jumble of famous paintings! It’s Renaissance art remixed: works by Giotto, Botticelli, and Raphael and many more in the ultimate altered-piece! Madonna!

Apr

Figura Serpentinata

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Outside Rome and Fashion

Snake Shoes in Venice, Italy

Artists in the sixteenth century spent their time trying to master the figura serpentinata - an idea that takes on a whole new meaning when one gazes upon these splendid snake skin shoes we found in a shop window on a back street in Venice. Displayed amongst a host of other lovely and handmade offerings, this headstrong pair of scarpe serpentinate initially sent us recoiling in shock and surprise (yep, that’s a little snake tongue sticking out of the head on the right), but then we became fascinated, even obsessed, and found ourselves slithering back up to the window for another look, and another, and another, until we convinced ourselves that one could cut quite a bella figura in these shoes if one were just brave enough to wear them.

Snake Shoes in Venice, Italy

Mar

Saving the World in Benetton Style

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Fashion and Everything Else

Benetton's Africa Works Micro-Credit Campaign

Here at the eCool Compound, we channel some of our enthusiasm about saving the world into micro-credit programs like Kiva, and so it is with great enthusiasm that we tell our faithful readers about Benetton’s 2008 global campaign in support of Birima, a micro-credit program in Senegal that was founded by the Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour.

Birima offers small loans to Senegalese craftspeople, professionals and artists in order that they might start and independently develop their businesses. Those in need of startup funds, bring their ideas to Birima, where they are given help in creating a business plan. They then make a promise to use loan funds for business purposes (and to repay those loans) and receive the seed money needed to become domestic appliance salesmen, subsistence farmers, boxers, welders, millers, or to pursue any number of other professions. As their businesses take off, the new entrepreneurs repay Birima and the repaid funds are then used to help another potential small business owner.

Benetton's Campaign for the Microcredit Company, Birima

Birimia operates on the principle of trust: those who ask for a loan need offer no other security than their word and the good name of their family. And the name alone conveys that idea: apart from being the title of one Youssou N’Dour’s most successful songs, Birima is the name of a legendary king of Senegal - a man who spoke to his people only once a year, but became a symbol of the value of keeping one’s word.

Why is Benetton involved in this project? Alessandro Benetton, Executive Deputy Chairman of Benetton Group explains the conviction with which Benetton has backed the project:

We chose to support and promote this important project because, unlike traditional acts of solidarity, it offers tangible support to small local entrepreneurs through the efficient use of micro-credit. Precisely because it is based on entrepreneurial talent, hard work, optimism and interest for the future, this project effectively promotes the new face of Africa.

The belief that micro-credit can lift people out of poverty and empower them to change their own lives is echoed by Youssou N’Dour, who says:

…my personal experience led me to realize that when a loan, however small, is used to develop an idea or realise a project, it is an effective way of fighting poverty. This is why everybody must understand the value of micro-credit. Africa doesn’t want charity, it wants repayable subsidized loans.

In support of Birima, Benetton is launching a full-scale ad campaign that will appear in print and on television worldwide. As seen here, it features Senegalese workers who have used micro loans to start small, productive businesses as photographed by James Mollison.

Benetton's Campaign in Support of the Birima Micro-credit Project

Feb

You Light Up My Legs

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Fashion and Advertising

Dr. Scholl's Advertisement

We’ve just done a quick survey here at the eCool Compound and it’s clear that not one of us has a full understanding of Italy’s fascination with Dr. Scholl’s sandals. Throughout the many combined years that we’ve all lived here, the popularity of these wooden-soled and so-called orthopedic sandals has never waned. They’re sold in practically every pharmacy and a vast assortment of styles are displayed in street side drugstore windows.

Are they really comfortable? No one here at the eCool Compound finds them to be so (though, admittedly, most of us haven’t slipped a pair onto our tender toes since childhood). Are those wooden soles really good for your feet? We’ve have no idea. And are they really wood?

What we do like is their new and sexy ad campaign (And, hey, look! Those Dr. Scholl’s have heels! And glitter!) The copy reads: Mettiti in luce, baby or Highlight yourself, baby. Maybe we’ll have to give them another try. Wouldn’t these be a lovely addition to a mid-summer seaside stroll?

Advertising Agency: McCann Erickson, Milan, Italy
Creative Director: Federica Ariagno
Art Director: Erick Loi
Copywriter: Francesca Pagliarini
Photographer: LSD

Feb

Red-Figure Chucks

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Past & Present and Fashion

Red-Figure Chucks

Oh man are we digging these red-figure Chucks! Probably going to die if we don’t get a pair!

We had the good fortune to stumble across these Grecian beauties while doing some classical web surfing and now we’re desperate for our very own pair of Hellenistic high tops.

It seems that these custom-painted sneakers were created for a lucky-classics professor. They depict 4 scenes from 4 different Greek vases. Immediately recognizable in these photos are images of Odysseus tied to the mast of his ship while the Sirens try to seduce him (above, left), Achilles and Ajax Playing Dice (above, right), Hercules and Cerberus (below, left) and Apollo with his Lyre (below, right).

The credit for these finely painted shoes goes to the mom of a Flickr user named jere7my, who willingly shares his mother’s technique with others who might want to create their own customized Chucks:

I just paint them with acrylic paints (any will do, I use either liquitex or a cheaper type Delta Ceramcoat available at craft stores, but for either you need to add some “textile medium” to help it stick to the fabric (Delta Ceramcoat or Josannia (sp?) makes one). Also try to remove some of the sizing out of the sneaker fabric first (scrub with a washcloth or something). Use a “Sharpie” or permanent marker for fine detail. Be careful to not paint TOO thickly or it will crack upon wearing. Also the paint should be thin enough to soak into and attach to the fabric but not so thin as to run or bleed. I often need to do a couple of coats of some colors for good coverage. Guess people could seal them with a spray finish but I haven’t tried that–Blair matte spray finish or even scotchguard should work well! Good luck!

Interested in having your own but don’t want to DIY? Email the creator of this perfect pair at linthorpe (at) rcn.com. Be warned that they come with a price tag that reflects the time and effort put into their creation — in the $200+ range for a design as complicated as that seen here!

Red-Figure Chucks

Feb

Update From Ponte Milvio

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Past & Present and Fashion

Locks on the Ponte Milvio

For those readers interested in the new love ritual that’s taken Rome’s Ponte Milvio by storm (see here and here), we have several updates:

On Valentine’s Day, 14 February, the lovers’ bridge was the site of a mass faux wedding sponsored by the Partito Umanista, a group dedicated to Civil Rights Advocacy in Italy. Couples of every gender distribution were invited to take symbolic vows and the motto of the event was “Le vie dell’amore sono infinite. Sposati con chi vuoi tu!” or “The ways of love are infinite. Marry whomever you like.” (We’re in search of photos of this event. Have you got any? Do let us know.)
Designer locks! We think we’ve found the perfect symbol of love for those couples who just can’t do with the everyday padlock. Hermes is selling gold-plated and silver locks in the shape of hippos, as well as a gold-plated Pegasus version. See below and click here.

Hermes Hippo Locks

Jan

Photo Saturday: Pure Spring

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Photo Friday, Photography, Fashion and On the Street

Pure Spring, a photo by Susan Sanders

On this Photo Saturday (again we’re a day behind), photographer Susan Sanders transports us to Rome’s high-fashion district with an image of the window display at Pure, a store where Rome’s most exclusive children pick out the perfect outfits.

Susans’s photo captures both the sophistication and the spookiness of the extraordinarily lifelike mannequins whose strange facial expressions compel one to believe that these too-much too-soon tots are possessed by fashion demons.

For more of Susan’s photographs, visit Rome With a View, her photo blog.

Dec

Roman Holidays: Ring in the New Year, Roman Style

By idcrome 0 Comments

Categories: Roman Holidays, Myth/Legend/Religion and Fashion

Red Underwear in a Roman Store at New Year's

If you’re wondering how to insure that the coming New Year brings you health, wealth, and wisdom, then you’ll want to take special note of these time-honored Italian traditions as you plan your New Year’s Eve festivities.

Of great importance is the color red, which is a symbol of life and prosperity, and therefore the luckiest of all colors. Across the Italian peninsula, New Year’s Eve tables are set with red decorations, red napkins, and red place markers. And though less immediately apparent, it’s worth knowing that many of those sitting around New Year’s Eve tables will be sporting red undergarments! Meant to insure love in the new year, red underwear and red lingerie adorn store windows in the week between Christmas and New Year’s (see photos above and below).

Fireworks will light up Rome’s sky on New Year’s Eve as they’re set off from every rooftop, bridge, and piazza (this in addition to the city-sponsored firework extravaganza). But along with such explosive “Roman candles” it’s absolutely necessary that your New Year’s table be lit with candlelight, for the use of candles insures a bright future. And because the New Year’s holiday falls in the very chilliest and darkest days of winter, there’s yet another light-producing tradition that survives in Italy - the burning of a Yule log during the twelve long nights between Christmas and Epiphany.

Since we are what we eat, the Italians also have traditional foods that are eaten on New Year’s Eve. Legend suggests that the eating of lentils will insure prosperity, perhaps because of their suggestive coin shape. In Rome, long and elaborate New Year’s meals end with a serving of lentils that is accompanied by boiled zampone (stuffed pig’s foot). It’s also a good practice to eat a pomegranate on New Year’s Eve as the hundreds of seeds inside the fruit means an association with fertility and abundance - a symbol that is often seen in Renaissance painting.

And, finally, even if your Christmas sprig of mistletoe hasn’t managed to bring love into your life just yet, don’t throw it away! Put it on your New Year’s Eve table as its milky white berries will ward off evil and misfortune for the coming year.

Red Underwear in a Roman Store at New Year's