Vatican Fashion and the Power of the Christian Pulpit

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Suzy Menkes

Cassocks made for Pope Francis were part of the show at AltaRoma at the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome.

ITALY---Silvia Venturini Fendi, co-designer with Karl Lagerfeld at the Roman luxury leather-goods company and president of the Italian fashion organization AltaRomAltaModa, says a societal shift is expressing itself in clothing. “It’s a whole new spirit in Rome,” she said, “and this is evident when we have a new pope going back to real Christianity, which lately was far from the church.” The ultimate satire on religious fanciness is the famous fashion show in Federico Fellini’s movie “Roma” (1972). “People are looking for meaning,” she continued, “and the real meaning of fashion is as a tool to express yourself. Sometimes fashion hides your language but we look for meaning in materials and fabrics to allow true personality to come out.” [link]