Art meets satire meets fashion

Fo, who at 80 ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Milan in May, is to introduce the men's fashion show of the Romeo Gigli brand on January 18 with a short theatrical performance.

He will strut the catwalk surrounded by life-sized reproductions of Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna's "Triumph of Caesar" paintings, whose colors match the Italian fashion house's new collection, and discuss the role of fashion.

"Fashion is a form of art and Fo's performance is intended to be a new way of presenting it," Gentucca Bini, the new creative director for Romeo Gigli, told Reuters.

Fo, a family friend of Bini, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica he wanted to bring a breath of fresh air into Milan's fashion shows. He said they had turned into heavily regulated performances open to a select few.

"Everything which is old and conformist is boring, it's better to invent something new," Fo, who won the Nobel literature prize in 1997, told La Repubblica.

The Romeo Gigli brand is famed for its rich colors and luxurious textiles for men. Bini plans to use the Mantegna reproductions as a backdrop for her fashion show.

Viewers will sit like spectators at a theater. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and Fo's performance will be shown on large screens outside the venue, Bini said.

Image:Andreas Solaro /AFP Italy, Rome : A model wears a creation of Italian designer Romeo Gigli, during a gypsy-inspired collection, at Rome's fashion week in January 2005.

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