Dear iDEALS, Elisa Palomino first made a splash in the fashion industry as the designer behind Moschino's Cheap & Chic Collection where she developed the whimsical style of their second line. After 5 years, Elisa was recruited by John Galliano to work for his own label as well as Dior.
At John Galliano, she was appointed Head of the Studio and during the next 8 years helped the fashion house flourish creatively. At Dior, Elisa worked with the "petits mains" at the haute couture ateliers where she helped create real works of art.
This is where we met. She was the one that hired me as an intern and slowly we became friends, enjoying lovely cooked meals at her beautiful apartment, surrounded by wonderful illustrations by Edward..
Following Galliano, Elisa worked as studio director at Cavalli
before moving to New York to become Vice President of Design at
Diane Von Furstenberg, a position she continues to hold.
Fall 2010 marks the first season of her own label, Elisa Palomino,
as well as her debut runway show during New York Fashion Week.
Elisa was born in the late sixties in Valencia Spain. She grew up in Cuenca, a small 15th Century town which influenced her theatrical aesthetics as did her grandmother, a Haute Couture client and her mother, a renowned fine art restorer.
She developed a passion for textiles very early, combining decadent prints with heavily embellished surfaces. She attended St. Martins College of Art and completed a Masters Degree in fashion design, her classmates included Alexander McQueen, Antonio Berardi and Hussein Chalayan.
-Elisa, we know each other for some years now. It is the first time you launch a collection under your name. How did this decision come?
MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT TIME , I HAVE SPENT HALF OF MY LIFE GIVING LOVE TO OTHERS, SO NOW I CAN CONCENTRATE ON MY OWN PROJECT.
-Your collection is actually a reflection of you. I remember your love for pink and flowers, the long gowns you used to wear at Galliano, the tea rose fur capes, the drapery, transparencies, the little hats. I was so amazed daily.
OH THANK YOU...
-Why did it take you so long deciding to walk your own path?
I WALKED MY OWN PATH ALL MY LIFE, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER CHAPTER OF MY OWN STORY.
-What is the philosophy of the Elisa Palomino collection about?
IT IS ABOUT MAKING WOMEN FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEIR FEMININITY AND LETTING THEM SHOW THEIR VULNERABILITY. WOMEN DON'T NEED TO SHOW THEIR POWER OR STRENGTH ANYMORE, THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IT ALREADY, SO IT IS TIME TO ENJOY AND TAKE FULL ACKNOWLEDGE OF OUR FEMININITY AND SENSUALITY
The nature of Elisa’s clothes is ultra-feminine. A cascade of chiffon layers, bows, feathers, pannè velvets, lace, tulle, floral prints and lingerie details. Flesh tones and antique roses mixed with shades of fuchsia are part of Elisa’s special palette. On the accessories front the shoe collection is full of boudoir details. Feminine elegance and freshness mixed with an urban edginess creating a new modernity.
-What is the aim behind it?
TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL LIKE GODDESSES.
-How different is Paris and Italy compared to New York, as a working base?
EACH CITY HAS SOMETHING GREAT ABOUT IT, NY IS THE CAPITAL OF VINTAGE, AND I AM TOTALLY ADDICTED TO IT!!
-What has the industry taught you?
EVERYTHING!! HOW TO CHANNEL YOUR TALENT NOT ONLY CREATIVELY BUT ALSO FINANCIALLY.
-How different is working on your own, compared to working with others?
YOU DON'T HAVE TO COMPROMISE, ALL THE IDEAS HIDDEN IN THE CLOSET CAN FINALLY COME TRUE..AND THERE IS A LOT OF THEM!!
-Will you continue teaching young students at St Martins?
OF COURSE, THE STUDENTS ARE MY LIFE, THEY ARE A CONSTANT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND THEY ARE THE REASON FOR ME TO BE STILL IN THIS BUSINESS!!
-How do you see the future of fashion?
BRIGHT, VERY BRIGHT!!!
-In a few days you are coming to Athens. Is it your first time?
NO, I LOVE ATHENS, CAN'T WAIT TO GET LOST THERE..IT IS SUCH A TREAT!!!AND IT WILL BE GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, I HAVE MISSED YOU LOTS!
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