WELCOME TO FASHION AS A 2ND LANGUAGE: ARE YOU FLUENT?

FA2L is for anyone who cares about beautiful things–clothing, shoes, accessories, home furnishings–and the interconnected tribes of those who make, sell, market and desire them. If something speaks to you, buy it now or hold your peace: there are links in each story, so the item you want is just a click away. I'd like to hear from you, too: please view my profile, use the email button and send me your comments.MG

Friday, December 18, 2009

Shimmy On Up: Sara Battaglia's Lunatic Fringe


Diana Vreeland had strong opinions about most things fashionable, not least the all-important subject of fringe:
How I miss fringe! Where is fringe today? The fringe was there in the twenties–as it was there in the sixties–because of the dancing, the dancing...the music! I've known two great decades in my life, the twenties and the sixties, and I'm always comparing them because of the music. Music is everything, and in those two decades you got something so sharp, so new.... (Diana Vreeland, DV, 1984)
Sara Battaglia picks up where DV left off: her eponymous handbag collection plays with shimmering leather strips, adding excitement and movement to smart pocketbooks and trim totes. They're easy to spot–super-stylish Giovanna Battaglia, above, L'Uomo Vogue's fashion editor (and Sara's sister) is a much-photographed fan–but hard to find (try Luisa Via Roma, in Florence). Perhaps 2010 will usher in a new decade of music, dancing and festive fringe.

Photograph of Giovanna Battaglia by Tommy Ton for Jak & Jil Blog
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