Angela Nocentini Creates Couture Made With Magis Adhesive Tape.

Angela Nocentini, a sculpture teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, is known for her fashions made with recycled trash and waste to emphasize her environmental concerns. To illustrate the use of tape as a reusable resource, she collaborated with eco-conscious Italian adhesive tape company Magis S.p.A. (not to be confused with Magis Design) to create these fashions using their products.


















At Magis the respect of the environment has always been one of their main concerns and they have been investing in new technologies with low environmental impact and in the use of renewable energies.

In their production they use highly recyclable materials such as polypropylene, paper, cartons and solvent-free adhesives as hot melt and acrylic water based emulsions.



About Magis
Magis, founded in 1983, was one of the first companies in coating polypropylene film with Hot Melt glue and to experiment with a form of printing called Sandwich, protected between the film and the adhesive. Thanks to these innovations, Magis has shortly become one of the leading companies in Italy, and soon after in the European and International market.

Magis is located in Cerreto Guidi on a production plant of more than 28.000 sqm.Thanks also to numerous investments, new machines and skilled personnel, Magis is able to guarantee the highest flexibility to all its customers and the best quality of the products. Nowadays Magis is one of the leading companies producing customized packaging materials and is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

original images courtesy of Magis, but have been highly altered in color, contrast and cropping by If It's Hip, It's Here

Yes, These Historical Fashions & Haute Couture Are Made Of Hand-Painted Paper.

Let me start by saying... what you are looking at is made of paper! Now, that I've got your attention, prepare to be amazed at the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave.




From the Medicis to Marie Antoinette to Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, Isabelle de Borchgrave has made paper emulate the most incredible fabrics and fashions from all over the world. One has to look twice to realize that the formal gowns, ornate jackets - even shoes - on mannequins are not actually made from velvet, silks and satins.





Sumptuous and detailed, it's hard to believe they are crafted of hand-painted rag paper. Whether she is recreating an outfit from 16th century paintings or creating one for a modern day ad campaign, the craftsmanship and detail in everything from the shoes to the hairpieces will take your breath away.






Her works include paper recreations of Renaissance costumes of the Medici family, gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette, the fashions of Fortuny (known for their pleats) and the designs of grand couturiers Fredrick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.

Some examples of her Medici fashions:






Gowns worn by legendary European 15th and 16th century historical figures including Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette:







Fortuny Fashions:




Jackie Kennedy's Wedding Dress:


She created a series of dresses realized with suede wall coverings for the Antelope Collection by Arte International in 2010:



For her present exhibit, Pulp Fashions, at San Francisco's Legion of Honor, she chose four famous paintings from their collection and recreated the fashions within them. Below are two examples:


The Belgian artist is a painter by training, but textile and costume are her muses. Working in collaboration with leading costume historians and young fashion designers, de Borchgrave crafts a world of splendor from the simplest rag paper.




Painting and manipulating the paper, she forms trompe l’oeil masterpieces of elaborate dresses inspired by rich depictions in early European painting or by iconic costumes in museum collections around the world.



The Paper Dress of Eleonora de Toledo, 1522-1562 (above) was inspired by a portrait of Bronzino (Gallery of Uffizi, Firenze) and began with a sketch, followed with the hand-painting of the fabric in her studio to yield the final masterpiece:




images and info courtesy of Isabelle de Borchgrave and The Legion of Honor

Exhibiting Now
At present, The Legion of Honor in san Francisco is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave, although her creations have been widely displayed in Europe.



Pulp Fashion draws on several themes and presents quintessential examples in the history of costume—from Renaissance finery of the Medici family and gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette to the creations of the grand couturiers Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior, and Coco Chanel. Special attention is given to the creations and studio of Mariano Fortuny, the eccentric early-20th-century artist who is both a major source of inspiration to de Borchgrave and a kindred spirit.

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, February 5, 2011 - June 5, 2011

A special thanks to my very hip parents who told me about Isabelle de Borchgrave and her work.