by MILAN – “She is a Capricorn, the rising sign of Hermès.”
That’s how the late Franco Moschino would usually bill Rossella Jardini, his right-hand woman for more than a decade. She was instrumental in keeping the designer’s legacy – and spirit – alive after his untimely death in 1994.
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Jardini remained at the creative helm of the Italian house until 2013, and was succeeded by Jeremy Scott.
She is known for her bubbly personality, glamorous lifestyle and high-society connections, qualities that attracted Moschino, who established a symbiotic business and personal relationship with her – and whose Milan office was lined with Hermès plaid scarves to feel it in her. element.
A new biography published by La Nave di Teseo entitled “Rossella Jardini — Ma Chi L’Avrebbe Detto?” or “Rossella Jardini – Who’d Say?” in English, is Jardini’s story coming out 11 years since he parted ways with the house owned by Aeffe SpA. It provides an opportunity to celebrate the late designer, their connection and contribution to the fashion brand.
“Everyone knows the connection I had with Franco [Moschino],” Jardini said at Tuesday’s book launch here. “I didn’t even have time to grieve, I went back to work straight away but I dreamed of him many times after his death,” she recalled.
She made it clear from the start that she intended to get a few things off her chest, including sharing her distaste for Scott’s tenure in the house. “I’m very offended by Jeremy Scott’s 10-year tenure, he destroyed Franco’s head [image],” she said, praising Adrian Appiolaza’s debut show last February.
As a close friend who stood by Moschino’s side until his death, Jardini respects and clearly carries on Moschino’s fashion legacy.
“A lot of talk was done about you, but in the end, little talk happened, and this book wants to be a tribute to us, our competition, our running of the torch, our principle, and our laughter. ,” Jardini wrote in the book’s introduction.
The 400-page tome features upside-down page numbers and is decked out in a jacquard cover with a pattern she designed for the Moschino brand back in the day featuring a wife’s face with voluminous combed hair and red lipstick. It was co-authored by fashion journalist Antonio Mancinelli, who helped shape Jardini’s whirlwind memories of her life with Moschino.
The first part is full of stories aimed at illustrating the nature of this relationship, in which private and public life, business and leisure were intertwined in the context of glitzy and glamorous cities such as Milan, London and New York.
That relationship resulted in the brand’s key codes, which were cemented after Jardini left her job at Bottega Veneta to join her friend’s brand in 1983, when it was in its early stages of development. The way the two would make fun of life, the clever use of words in everyday conversations were part of the creative process.
In one case, the signature silk shirt with the word “niente” or “nothing” in English, Jardini said, was the result of a conversation between the two in which she really didn’t want any text printed on it. the chic blouse. Moschino took her answer literally and the garment was printed with that word.
In the second part of the book, which is divided into chapters dedicated to the classics of the Moschino style – from hats and cowboy flags to wild animal motifs and polka dots, the little black dress and the white shirt – images of Franco Moschino’s designs are combined with those of Jardini .
An accessory-focused appendix, particularly the signature heart-shaped bags, logo belt and chunky costume jewelry, comes with its own share of stories. Jardini, while introducing jewelry, recalled that at some point Moschino would decide not to feature in the upcoming runway show, a decision that resulted from a fierce fight that was resolved when he agreed on necklaces and bracelets and stack all kinds of treasures on one. model wearing a swimsuit.
In the final chapter, Mancinelli, who spent about two years listening to Jardini’s stories, confessions and memories, recreated a glossary filled with the designer’s quotes on a wide range of topics, from love, power and coherence, to style, divas and pearls — which “solves everything: you can wear the most silly thing, just put a string of pearls around your neck,” she says.
The book, sold for 60 euros, is available at bookshops and on Amazon.
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