Countdown to Oscar night
Will Catherine Zeta Jones be wearing La Perla's seductive lingerie and will Charlize Theron wear Max Mara? Will Naomi Watts be sporting eyewear by the big Italian names? And will Halle Barry parade in a Raffaella Curiel and Maria Bello in a Mariella Burani? We'll find out in a few hours time on the evening of February 29, when actors and directors will enter the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in the hope of winning the most famous statuette in the world.
Many stars have already enthusiastically taken part in the initiative to wear garments and accessories with the Made-in-Italy signature at the Oscar Night and at all pre and post events, such as film shows, television appearances, photo calls, evening events.
Italian fashion will be 'on parade' at the Oscars thanks to the 'Italia - Life in I style' project set up by the Istituto nazionale per il Commercio Estero in collaboration with the trade associations for the fashion sector (including Anfao), which promotes the best of our production on foreign markets.
'Fashion is acquiring an increasingly major role at image events' said Roberto Luongo, director of the Ice network in the US. 'All newspapers and television networks dedicate long features on the way actors and celebrities in all sectors dress. Through these channels, they obtain considerable visibility. That is why Ice New York has decided, for the first time since the setting up of the Fashion Center in New York, to contact celebrities and create loyalty for Italian brands of quality, even if they are not yet known to the public at large.'
If the big Italian labels already conquered the world of cinema some time back, this year artisan Italian companies of extremely high quality, but less well known, will also have the chance to make the best of their production available to the Hollywood star system.
The companies which have taken part in the Ice project are: La Perla, Max Mara, Raffaella Curiel and Mariella Burani for haute couture and ready-to-wear; Aldo Bruè, Ballin, Lerre, Moreschi, Giuliano Venanzi, Naturino and Colette for footwear; Rodo for evening purses; Area, DiEsse, Nico, Visibilia and Viu-in for sunglasses; Kaidor for items in gold.
Testifying to this strong attraction that Italian fashion has for the American public, many television networks have already planned various programs: Cbs has a special production dedicated to the articles and products made available by the Italian fashion houses taking part in the Ice project; a dress by Raffaella Curiel and shoes by Lerre and Venanzi will be presented during the program dedicated to the Oscars by Cnn (February 28) and by Rai 1 (February 27). Other services will be broadcast by Fox Television and the German network RTL.
