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Grace Talarico di Capace
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Grace Talarico di Capace (Baronessa Grazia Talarico di Capace) was born on July 2, 1946. She, along with her family, were involved with Emilio Pucci Haute couture in Rome, serving as fashion designers, fabricators and consultants for Pucci's Roman atelier throughout the 1960's. She is an American of Italian birth from the ancestral family of Alaric I. History The Talarico di Capace family worked in Haute couture for the Roman atelier of Pucci after the fashion house's expansion from Capri to Rome during the 2nd half of the 20th century. They often oversaw Emilio Pucci designs for Cinecitta. Actress Gina Lollobrigida were among the family's patrons. Grace's uncle Leonardo worked with bespoke shoe design and fabrication, typically creating examples from his primary location in Milan, while her other uncle, Terenzio, overlooked couture tailoring for the fashion house's Roman atelier. Grace arrived in Chicago during the mid 1960's, following her uncle Terenzio, during the period that Emilio Pucci served as vice president of design and merchandising for Formfit-Rogers fabric mills in the city, developing a new lingerie line for the house. Prior to WWII, Grace's father, Vincenzo, went to Aosta, trained to become an Alpini, and was later employed by the Italian Ministry of Defence in Rome. The Baroness was the subject of a work by artist J. Zangwell Gilbert in 1992 Leonardo was the youngest uncle of Grace who had learned the art of bespoke shoemaking from the Messina family of Sicily, of which some family members would create Messina of Milan on Via A. Volta 5, establishing one of the city's most exclusive labels for bespoke footware to this day. The model set forth by Messina was to custom fabricate a last, carved from the exact measurements of each client's foot. At least 8 months were required to achieve the perfect last, of which the atelier would retain for future use. This was followed by at least one month of actual footware fabrication. Leonardo used this same method for the commissions that he received from actress Gina Lollobrigida in Cinecitta. Leonardo would ultimately spend two years in Rome working with the actress, first presenting a design to his client, and then finalizing with elegant footwear creations. One example of Leonardo's work, for Gina Lollobridgida, was a modern pump, unadorned, and distinctly finished in a chic, confetti pink satin, a signature Pucci color. Following this project, Leonardo returned to Milan, preferring his northern home over central Italy.. Terenzio was the first of the family to bring his talents to Pucci, and like Leonardo, he had learned his craft from a Maestro, in his case, Caraceni. Domenico Caraceni, often called the father of Italian tailoring, began in Rome in 1913. By 1922, Caraceni set forth an atelier model that required at least 50 skilled designers and artisans to create one bespoke suit, from hand-tailored button holes to the house's famous, boat-shaped welt pockets. Terenzio's teacher would set an excellent course of study for the Haute couture needs of a modern, post-war Rome, with Terenzio being further educated by Battistoni on 61A Via Condotti, where Gugliemo Battistoni etablished his atelier in 1946, became noted for his hand-sewn shirt collars, and was a fixture of the most glamorous Popular Shopping Areas and Markets in Rome. Caraceni attracted many personalities to it's Roman establishment, from the Italian tycoon and trend setter Gianni Agnelli to actors Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Sophia Loren to even designers themselves, such as the jeweler Bulgari. Caraceni would also later expand with locations in Milan and Paris. When Pucci arived in Rome, Terenzio was able to join the house's atelier, translating the modern sensibilities he acquired in men's tailoring from Caraceni and Battistoni into some of the chic fashions of Pucci's sophisticated Haute couture of the 1960's. Grace Talarico di Capace grew up in Rome, attending the private elementary schools of Fasusto Ceccone and Leon Amberti, and later, attending Mecenati private high school. During her family's associations with Pucci, she was still only a teenager, but her age did not hinder her creative visions for high fashion. Two examples of her work is documented through studio portraits; she outlined two outfits for herself, and had it tailored under her uncle's guidance. The first was a sleeveless, A-line dress with a plunging open back of a signature expressive Pucci print in various colors, predominantly lavender. Its uniqueness was further accentuated by being cut from a vintage clothing sample of material that was left over from Pucci's Boutique Collections of the 1950's, thereby, creating a one-of-a-kind 60's look from a 50's retro print. The second creation was a innovative take on the traditional black evening dress, choosing to fabricate it from a material color that was traditionally reserved for men's formal wear, specifically, a tuxedo color that is called "blue black". This was a favorite formal wear color of the Duke of Windsor. Therefore, the Pucci teenager was able to put a slight spin on the traditional "little black dress". By the mid 60's, Grace had already begun to prepare herself for involvement with her uncle's work in the United States. She had already completed her business studies with Attestato di Specializzazione Professionale, applicable to fashion merchandising. Grace's beauty was also a muse for her family, especially her distinctive green eyes, of which the left one has a dark brown line of sectoral Heterochromia from her pupil to the lower edge of the , giving her gaze a uniquely feline quality. While in the U.S., Grace would also complete further studies, become a citizen of the United States, marry and produce two children. She also branched out into working with an international charitable organization and began investing in income property. During the 1990's, she met the artist J.Zangwell Gilbert who would establish an art gallery in one of the properties she owned. Zangwell Gilbert created a portrait of the Baroness in 1992, which the artist exhibited upon completion Family Ancestry The House of Talarico di Capace is one of the few noble Italian families with ancient Visigoth origins. The family's surname is an acronym of the words Talea (scion) and Alarico (Italian for Alaric). Thus, the name basically translates to "descendant of Alaric I". Capace is the original location of the house's seat, in this case, within the region of Calabria of the territories near Cosenza where the ancient King Alaric I died and was laid to rest in the Busento . However, the name of Capace also has Italian significance in that it means "could or capable", a reference to Alaric I who "could do the impossible and was capable of conquering Rome- the Eternal City". Thus, the Talarico di Capace family is "of Alaric from the one who could". Since earlier times, several map makers, such as Ortelius, recorded the family's territories as of belonging to the Capace, recognizing the family's governing role of the early Italian nation states. Visigoth aristocracy also had their own title, Varon, that is not possible to fully translate into traditional Italian peerage. It means "the royalty of Alaric" as well as the "the men/people of Alaric", making it difficult to clasify the family as royality or nobility , especially since Alaric himself was, infact, the first official King of Italy. Also, their house did not use a standard coat of arms for many centuries, but rather a blue jeweled Aquilar, or eagle , that signified that they were aristocracy of Alaric I. Nevertheless, the Talarico di Capace were recognized as a Lord of Calabria to all in the region, guarding over the sacred grounds where their first patriarch was laid to rest. The eagle of Alaric's Roman generalship and the waters he was laid to rest in was referenced by the house's blue Aquilar brooch throughout the Middle Ages. It wasn't till many centuries later that their Gothic title and family Aquilar became Italianized from Varon to Baron, followed by a traditional European coat of arms, classified within the heraldry of the princely House of Ruffo di Calabria. At that point, the noble Talarico di Capace family bore the same arms of the House of Ruffo, except with the variation of their arms being blue and silver, rather than Ruffo's black and silver. Talarico di Capace officially became categorized as a noble Italian family, by virtue of their arms, in relation to the princely House of Ruffo di Calabria- without any further Talarico di Capace family listing within the traditional registers of Italian nobility. Their noble classification was further apparent by the permanent attachment of their seat, di Capace, to their Talarico surname, which distinguishes their house from non-noble families who may happen to use the surname of Talarico or Tallarico. Related Topics * : Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a stylish heir of a prominent New York family, gives his satorial expertise to Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a talented but unaffluent travel companion, to get his tailoring done at Battistoni once in Rome. * History of fashion design * Fashion Design 
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