Romeo Gigli

1950(?) Address:- c/o Romeo Gigli, 37 W 57th St., 9th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10019

In the mid-80's when the narrow-hipped, huge shouldered silhouette was de riguer among fashion conscious women, a shy new designer in Italy began creating clothing with a much softer silhouette-and for several years, fashion editors and critics didn't really know what to make of him. Romeo Gigli's first collections-shown in the designer's home and work space, above a Renault body shop on a quiet street in Milan-were described as 'sad,' 'penitent,' 'monastic,' and 'misogynist.' Within a few years, however, he had become the celebrated leader of a strong trend toward more languid lines, exotic colours and textures, and historical influences.

In 1992, he extended his personal style to create G Gigli, a more casual line for younger men and women who enjoy fashion and like to dress well.

The G Gigli collections were born out of intensive research into the different forms and uses of clothing throughout the world. Gigli examined the way people wore clothes, together with the shapes and colours of everyday life, and used his findings for inspiration.

The key to the G Gigli line is versatility. The menswear is flexible enough to be worn by women, and the whole range has been designed to allow for endless combinations, according to personality. Each piece works well with others to enable wearers to reinvent themselves everyday.

Romeo Gigli was born in about 1950 in the town of Emilia-Romagna, in Faenza, Italy. His father was a fourth-generation antiquarian who dealt mostly in rare books, and his mother was a countess. She dressed elegantly in Christian Dior and Christobal Balenciaga.

As a child Gigli spent countless hours reading old books about architecture, medicine, and travel in the enormous library of his parents house. "My collection is inspired by the library of my father," he told Michael Gross for New York (December 5, 1988). "Never one trend, but a big mélange-a miscellany of my knowledge."

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