THE DUST OF THE STAGE IS VERY DANGEROUS
“The dust of the stage is very dangerous,” said Anna Maria Pierangeli’s grandmother, disapproving of the idea that a young, naive Catholic girl would embark on a career in cinema. Anna Maria Pierangeli, born in Cagliari (1932) and later moved to Rome, was discovered by chance by Vittorio De Sica and director Léonide Moguy. At a very young age, she played the lead role in the film Domani è troppo tardi, winning the Best Actress award in Venice.
From there, her path led to Hollywood, into the international star system of the great Studios. The SS25 fashion show is inspired by her—by her incredible destiny and the dichotomy between Sardinia, the land of her childhood, and Beverly Hills, her new home—between the American dream that became a reality and the longing for home, between the evocative atmosphere of vacations in Acapulco and timeless memories of a land of unspoiled beauty. The collection tells the story of the tumultuous love between Anna Maria Pierangeli, now renamed Pier Angeli, and James Dean, a love full of contrasts, ignited by their cultural and personal differences, steeped in desire and melancholy—a brief love, but immortalized by the fatal attraction that bound them from the moment they first met.
The show opens with an exchange of postcards between Hollywood, Acapulco, and Sardinia, and a letter to her mother, the strict and watchful guardian of Pier Angeli:
“Dear Mom,
How are you? How much I miss you!
Beverly Hills is wonderful, and I feel great…
I’m talking about the place, not my heart, which is sad, and you know why.
In Los Angeles, the weather is like Sardinia, a fantastic microclimate where the coldest it gets is 15 degrees. Santa Monica beach reminds me of Poetto in Cagliari, and as you know, I can’t give up the sea, and the vegetation is just like the Sardinian coast.
Oh, how I miss that wonderful place that is Sardinia…
I often go to Acapulco with Jimmy, I’ve written to you about it. You don’t approve, I know, you don’t like him, you think he’s not right for me, but I love him. And he’s serious, he wants to marry me…”
The collection narrates dreams, loves, successes, and summer nights through dresses that result from a blend of styles, inspirations, and references. Styles merge and influence each other.
Sardinia, in its most explicit form, is symbolized by the jacquard design of the Nuraghe, the iconic symbol of an ancient land, keeper of time. This is paired with prints in shades of ecru and black, evoking the island’s millennia-old stones and archaic landscapes.
Then there are tropical elements from the warm Californian summer, with glimpses of Acapulco—palms and surfboards in penicillin green and orange, alongside vibrant exotic flowers on black backgrounds.
The SS25 collection for both men and women is a layering of fabrics, materials, embroidery, lace, and prints that chase each other, meet, and blend. Decorations are enriched with jet beads and sequins, bows, and ruffles. The silhouettes are recognizable, yet the combinations are unusual. Opposites attract. Nothing is as it seems. Lightweight silks are draped like couture dresses, denim is treated like leather, leather is printed like fabric, knitwear becomes raffia or the canvas for intricate embroidery, and sweatshirts become fields for inlays of all the collection’s materials or blank pages on which to draw or apply American university crests.
From animal prints to floral motifs, from checks to spotted patterns, to flowers in every shade of ecru and black, the collection gives life to fitted corset dresses, flowing dresses, oversized shirts, summer shorts, fluid pants, draped skirts, jumpsuits, and kaftans. The same models explode into luminous, vibrant colors like sage green, bright blues, deep burgundy, and neon yellows, all mixing in a narrative of tropical prints, hibiscus flowers, and anthuriums. The dresses, skirts, and tops feature sumptuous embroidery, delicate lace, and bold fringes, creating a silhouette that is both evocative and contemporary.
Accompanying the show is a live band playing songs that evoke a rock’n’roll atmosphere, a symbol of a rebellious era that has never faded and of which we are the heirs.
