Princess Johnine Colonna
"My first close encounter with Anna Maria Nardi was sometime in the early 90’s when she was preparing to stage a fashion show at the Hotel Minerva in center for AWAR. Attending a general meeting luncheon to recruit members as models, she pointed me out and stated “I’ll take that one,” at which time her assistant for the event, Astrid Gotuzzo approached me introducing herself and Anna Maria, spoke fetchingly of the upcoming fashion show and that I was just what they wanted. I tried my best to squivel out but the lasso was tossed out and little did I know the noose was around my neck. So I did that show for Anna Maria and it became a precedent for many others to follow.
Anna Maria just liked dressing women. I was a slightly overweight Barbie Doll that caught her eye and she calculated what she saw to be best on me. In time she induced me to a number of her personal shows at which I modeled and sometimes purchased the clothing I had modeled at a special price which suited me well and allowed me to build up a designer wardrobe from her choice of designs.
Then we went through the changing size period as my mature years played natures jokes with my body and Anna Maria’s sarta would open the seams up and then cut them down again to adapt to my changing figure. All in all this continued for a number of years even when I passed through the two sizes in one day period. Anna Maria always managed to stay a step ahead of the situation and keep me outfitted telling me; remember we ladies in Italy don’t do the last two buttons of the suit. You must keep your Italian chic.
So, when there’s the mood, I keep my Nardi chic and traipse about the town or planet as is my whim with two open buttons and a puff of fur at the neck in winter or a traditional Nardi chosen scarf in lighter weather and take on all comers in the flair division". |
