Anna Piaggi – The Queen of Extraordinary
The fashion world sheds tears over Anna Piaggi’s death. The 81-year-old fashion editor and universally recognized style icon has passed away at her home in Milan after a life filled with fame and success, leaving a great void in the worldwide fashion journalism. Contributor to numerous magazines, Anna Piaggi will be remembered especially for her “D.P. Doppie pagine di Anna Piaggi” (Double-page spreads by Anna Piaggi), the cult column on Vogue Italia, which reflected her unique and unmistakable personality.
A muse and a close friend of many important fashion players – such as Manolo Blahnik, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld, who depicted her in the amazing sketches in the book “Anna Chronique” – Ms Piaggi was first of all a nonconformist and an original person (when these words still had value). She was more than an exuberant and eclectic fashionista, and her way of putting pieces of clothing together reminded of artworks much more than outfits.
Maybe this is the reason why in 2006 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London exhibited her striking collection in a show entitled “Fashion-ology” including somewhere about 265 pairs of shoes, 932 hats and 2,865 dresses (just to give an idea).
We could spend thousands of words to honour this master of style, but we’d prefer remembering an image of Anna Piaggi with her expressive and theatrical make up, the curled blue hair hidden under Stephen Jones’ bizarre hats, and the vintage, multilayer clothing along with her animalier and flaming furs. Goodbye, the queen of extraordinary.
Monica Lombardi
