Curves are what separate women from men. I like the curve of the bust, the curve of the hip, the curve behind the knee, the curve from the shoulder to the neck. These, to me, are extremely sensual. When I was a child, I used to watch my mum apply perfume — I noticed them then, and once you do, they become ever so much more apparent in every woman you know. Each woman’s curves are unique. Every one treats her body in her own way — there are certain parts that she caresses, that mean something to her. It’s amazing to witness this, as a man looking on.
The 1950s body shape, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe: these are who I think of when I envisage a woman. When I sit and sketch, it’s always an hourglass silhouette. If you look at men’s magazines, the women have accentuated curves. If you show a man a selection of cars, he’ll always pick the sporty red one. The curvy woman is the sporty red car of the female world. This may sound gratuitous, but actually it’s totally primal.
Antonio Berardi
Berardi’s parents were Sicilians who emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. He developed an interest in fashion at a young age. As a nine-year-old he saved his money for Armani shirts with leather gusset shoulders.
After secondary school he decided on a career in design and applied to study fashion at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
After graduating, Berardi quickly launched his eponymous label known for its sensual, figure-hugging dresses. He has named music, independent film, post-modern art, Catholic symbolism, Italian art and culture, urban street style, lingerie and the female form as his design influences.
Berardi’s powerfully provocative designs – particularly the figure-hugging dresses and micro-miniskirts – reflected classic British design and colourful Sicilian expressionism; the perfect balance of femininity and flamboyance, romance and glamour.
His debut catwalk show at London Fashion Week in 1995 featured a scantily clad Kylie Minogue modelling a red lingerie-inspired dress. Madonna quickly became a fan, while Victoria Beckham was a front row guest at one of his early shows and said: “Antonio knows how to make a woman feel sexy yet contemporary.”
Moving from the London catwalks to Milan in 1999, Berardi’s international influence grew and he was credited with reviving the fortunes of British fashion alongside Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan. His unmistakable Italian influences continued to embrace a sexy female silhouette throughout the 2000s, and he admitted to loving the “curvaceous look”.
That passion for the curvaceous look was never clearer than in 2013, when Gwyneth Paltrow wore this iridescent silver and green kimono sleeve gown to the Iron Man 3 premiere. It supported Gwyneth’s revelation that her friend had told her that her butt was “not so bad for a 22-year-old stripper let alone a 40-year-old mother of two!”
I don’t normally feature fashion designers on this blog but I’m happy to make an exception for Mr Berardi. I don’t think Gwyneth Paltrow is anything like curvy enough to carry off that hour glass dress though. She may well have the butt of a 22 year old stripper but Ava Gardner or Marilyn Monroe she ain’t.
Someone should send Berardi’s number to Christina Hendricks or perhaps Jessica Rabbit!
Frontbotties 