SUZAN VICTORIA

GIOVANNA BATTAGLIA ENGLEBERT

”Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it” - Michelangelo

There are faces, and then there are faces. Faces which stop us and compel us to look again. To ponder them as we do great architecture. There is poetry in the bones and the bones, as if words, masterfully assembled in such a way as to form something greater, profound, something of substance and depth. Aristotle said, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Perhaps it is not a random matrix of eyes, mouth....cheekbones…jawbone...or a nose sculpted from a thousand generations. But that the forging of features which form the human face surely must have an author who's inspirations lie hidden deep within our marrow.

We have seen this face before on ancient mosaics and the faded plaster of palace walls. Chiseled into marble and brushed onto stretched linen. It is the face found on the coins unearthed from ancient Roman ruins. A relic from the renaissance, a forgotten Sicilian queen.

Designers Stefano Gabbana and Dolce Domenico understood the significance and rarity of a face like this. The Sicilian-Calabrian beauty Giovanna Battaglia became their model and muse when she was just 16 years old. Her innate talent draws upon Italian art and craftsmanship spanning millennia. It is la dolce vita which she embodies heart and soul, a “joyful glamour” she once said, describing her iconic fashion sense. Life as art and art as life. Giovanna’s highly sought after Marella Agnelli-esque sense of style has enabled us to witness the evolution of a rare woman. She has made her mark as one of the most celebrated beauties and style icons of our era as she continues skyward at the helm of the legendary Swarovski crystals. Undoubtedly the most innovative and avante garde creative director in 100 years.

Arriving at Oscar de la Renta NYFW Spring 2016