In 1987, Ennio Capasa launched his launched his first ready-to-wear and shoe collection in Milan, calling it Costume National. This summer he’s teamed up with Absolut Vodka to produce a limited edition bottle available in Italian stores from June to October.
The utterly hip black bottle is aimed at fashion animals eager to restyle their bars or their freezers. We love it. We’re running out the door to get our own and we’ll be serving e-cool cocktails for everyone as soon as we return!
This week promises to be hot in Rome and we find ourselves absolutely longing for a watery retreat like the one in this ad for swimming pool design firm Piscine Castiglione near Milan:
Just as wonderful is the matching coffee table:
Unfortunately, these luxurious pieces of furniture are nothing more than publicity stunts, but should they become available for purchase, we’re first in line!
These fabulous ads proclaim that the Sky network’s coverage of soccer is equal opportunity in every way. To our minds, the most important question is “where can we buy those shoes?”
Advertising Agency: 1861 United, Milan, Italy; Art Director: Peppe Cirillo; Photographer: Michele Gastl
July 4, 1957: The first Fiat 500 hit the Italian streets in Turin, Italy. Launched as the Nuova 500, it was marketed as a cheap and practical town car to combat high levels of congestion in Italian cites. Because of its diminutive size, the 500 proved to be an enormously popular vehicle throughout Europe and was produced until 1975.
July 4, 2007: exactly 50 years later - again in Turin - Fiat will release an updated version of its most famous car. Tiny like it’s iconic predecessor, the new 500 measures just 355 cm long (11.65 ft), 165 cm wide (5.4 ft) and 149 cm tall (4.9ft), and rides on a 230 cm (7.5 ft) wheelbase.
The excitement is palpable. Fiat is planning a huge launch to be broadcast on TV and the web.
There’s also an elaborate website where 500 enthusiasts have uploaded their own commercials for the new car as part of a contest (winners have already been announced). The website also encourages Fiat fans to contribute to 500-ology, a growing encyclopedia dedicated to the new vehicle, as well as to use a concept lab to try out their own car design ideas.
Image via Notcot.com
Among the many gods and goddesses charged with protecting the ancient city of Rome was Vesta, the goddess of house and hearth. Every Roman family worshiped Vesta in their home, and early on in Roman history, a king named Numa decreed that the city of Rome, like a family, would honor Vesta by building a temple to her in the Roman Forum.
Because Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, her temple housed a flame that was always kept burning thanks to the careful care of Rome’s most important women, the Vestal Virgins, who lived nearby. Just as Romans considered women the caretakers of the home, the Vestal Virgins were considered to be special guardians of the state, watching carefully to insure that the fire burned at all times.
Now the Temple of Vesta is in ruins and the house of the Vestal Virgins is nothing more than a must-see on every tourist itinerary. But the spirit of Vesta lives on. Yesterday, 21 April 2007, Rome celebrated its 2760th birthday and among those present at the party were modern-day Vestal Virgins who rekindled the sacred fire (never mind they were standing in front of the Temple of Hercules when they did so - it’s the thought that counts).
Certainly the goddess was pleased by the observation of her rituals, but if truth be told she’s not in Rome much these days. Vesta’s taken her home fire to the Venetian lagoon. Since 2001 the deity has been the CEO of Venice’s waste management and environmental services company, having decided to extend her homemaking influence beyond the bounds of the Eterna in an effort to keep La Serenissima fresh and clean.
