Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan’s international furniture fair, is in full swing this week. Over the last decade it has enhanced the Italian fashion capital’s allure on a global level and in the eyes of the world’s taste makers.

Since major houses like Giorgio Armani and Fendi stampeded into home design to fuel new areas of growth, Salone has has succeeded in linking furniture, architecture, art and fashion seamlessly under the umbrella of one tradeshow.

Before the fashion world began to take part in design week here, “Salone” was a junior cousin to the runway shows.

Today, the events abound. Beyond the Rho fairgrounds, “Fuori Salone” neighborhood organizations like 5Vie and Brera Design District organize satellite events, many of which are open to the public — setting the stage for what is by far the most cultured, cosmopolitan, chic block party on the planet. And here in Italy, the prosecco never stops flowing and the men and women are flawlessly dressed.

This week, we decided to map out the connection between furniture, art and fashion that together now form the constellation that we commonly call “design.”

To do this we focused on niche projects by designer Max Lamb and haute textile maker Bonotto, as well as an in-depth interview with gallerist Chiara Rusconi, who is trailblazing the northern Italian town of Brescia’s quest to assert itself as a cultural pulse of Itly. At Fuori Salone, we take you on a tour of the exhibits by creatives who are putting the artisanal aspect of design on show. 

This week is testament to the fact that Italy, like the plethora of wine, cheese and sweet delights she famously produces, has no dearth of stories, especially if one is looking through BACO’s lens.

BACI,

Sofia

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Chiara Rusconi of A Palazzo , Bonotto: Fashion Textiles at Salone , Salone Scenes: World’s Chicest Block Party, The Fashionable Side of Fuorisalone 

BRESCIA–Truly a visionary, Brescia-based gallerist Chiara Rusconi turned a grandiose, purportedly haunted, 17th century palazzo, known as the “House of 100 Windows,” into a world-class gallery that hosts high-brow collectors from all over the world.

The gallery she co-founded, A Palazzo, is located in the center of Brescia, which sits on the foot of the Alps. And despite its UNESCO protected Roman ruins and Monestary of San Salvatore and Santa Giulia, Brescia is often overshadowed by tourist attraction cities like Venice or Lake Como.

Now it is a must-see stop on the contemporary art trail, due in large part to the work of A Palazzo.

“This palazzo is one of the most interesting mansions in the city. I said to myself, we definitely have to do something here,” Rusconi said, guiding BACO on a personal tour of the space, explaining that the residence was last inhabited by a clutter-prone aristocratic elderly couple who slept in a room as opulent and as expansive as a ballroom. “It was a mess.”

Once filled with tapestries and candelabras, the home is now dominated by abstract art work like the Cold War-inspired mini-exhibit by Doctor Wolfgang Hauptmann II and an instillation exploring the Poltergeist phenomenon by Susan MacWilliam, a scholar and researcher of the paranormal activities and its history. These two artists  are part of “The Rose Has Teeth in The Mouth of The Beast” exhibit curated by Moscow-based art critic Andrey Parshikov.

During the tour, a creaky door slammed for no apparent reason behind us, and we find ourselves in a small storage room in the dark. “Don’t be afraid,” Chiara said warmly. “We often have to close this place up at night. Can you imagine?”

Along with its electrical impulses and provocative contemporary art exhibits, Rusconi’s gallery sponsors a permanent project called LOLLIPOP-UP, a Design & Art Editions Store, curated by Paolo Gonzato. Most recently, LOLLIPOP-UP linked fashion with the art world by hosting fashion forward designers like Simone Rainer, who makes triangle handbags inspired by geological wonders. 

“There are links between art and fashion, but the art world is really the apex,” Rusconi said.

Like the mansion she works in, Rusconi possesses a sense of noble elegance, grace and down-to-earth charm.

BACO’s Editor-in-Chief braved the ghosts of the “House of 100 Windows” and sat down with Chiara Rusconi about her personal style:

The Look: Marc Jacobs necklace and Missoni blouse.

Personal Style: “I am usually quite easygoing. I like to wear Lanvin and Alaia for evening wear. In the summer I turn into another person and my style becomes quite hippie.”

NEVER: “I almost never wear heels.”

ALWAYS: “I am Missoni addicted.”

 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Chiara Rusconi of A Palazzo , Bonotto: Fashion Textiles at Salone , Salone Scenes: World’s Chicest Block Party, The Fashionable Side of Fuorisalone 

Last month, I took a trip to Lisbon and Porto for Portugal Fashion Week. I was struck by the rich fabrics and the overall ornate detail on the runway. More than many other fashion weeks, Portugal’s history – from its battles with the Moors to its colonial heyday – were evident among Portuguese designers and the accessories and even the jewelry spotted on the runway.

Off the catwalk, filigree drop earrings, pendants and sculptures are showcased by rows and rows of shops in Lisbon’s city center.

One brand taking Portuguese traditional craft to a new dimension is Susana Bettencourt, who stunned the fashion crowd with her Masai-inspired prints and hand made copper jewelry.

This week, with our new Jewelry Issue, we decided to focus on brands that reference the past — ancient cultures, nomadic tribes and traditions — while appealing to a modern, albeit more conscious following.

In Italy, we spoke to Benedetta Dubini, a London-based jeweler who purchases ancient Roman and Greek coins and embeds them into gold and silver settings – tiny works of art that are truly one-of-a-kind. In Paris, we interviewed fashion journalist-turned jeweler, Delphine Hervieu whose label Otzar is crafting Cleopatra-worthy ear cuffs that incorporate rare gems. And for the first time, we interviewed an Indian designer: Mrinalini Chandra, who is working to preserve traditional goldsmithery while infusing her art with her Milanese fashion education.. 

So much of fashion embodies influences from art, film, movements, revolution and even wars. This is most evident in jewelry, one of the most artisanal products of all.

BACI,

Sofia

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Dubini Fine Archeaology , Mrinalini Chandra: Preserving Indian Techniques ,  Susana Bettencourt: A Tribal Revival , Portugal’s Filigree Tradition, Otzar: Parisienne Jewelry Couture, Pasotti: Rock Gen Drives Old Family Business,