Carosa

Roman house of high fashion whose name was derived from an anagram of the names of two ladies of the nobility who decided, in 1947, to start a business in the field of couture: Princess Giovanna Caracciolo Ginetti (1910-1983) and Barbara Angelini Desalles. The latter quit almost immediately, while Donna Giovanna continued until the mid 1970s. She didn’t know how to sew, but she knew how to dress. She had two passions: Balenciaga and the Roman baroque. Thanks to her excellent taste, she was an exceptional talent scout (those who worked in her atelier include Ibi Farkas, De Barentzen, Lancetti, Giambattista Vannozzi, Quirino Conti, and Tarlazzi, her favorite) and was able to command respect in the world of the good Roman bourgeoisie and the international aristocracy. From the windows of her atelier on Piazza di Spagna, pointing out the cupolas, she would exhort her collaborators to look at them and “to appreciate the volumes and proportions.” On February 12^th 1951 she was invited to the first presentation by Giorgini in Florence. Tarlazzi collaborated with her until 1972. Two years later, the Carosa atelier closed, in large part because of the crisis in high fashion sector caused by the now dominant prêt-à-porter industry. Quirino Conti, who worked with her, writes: “She would get worked up over the flare of a skirt, agonizing over the bias and raving for a certain particular stitch in black.”