LUISA CASATI STAMPA

Never, anybody else like her.

Forerunner of all the stars, undisputed icon of the early 20^th century fashion, artists’ and writers’ muse, art patroness and talent scout, Luisa Casati Stampa was born in Milan in 1881.

Her maiden name was Amman and she was soon to become, with her parents’ premature death, a very rich heiress.

In 1900 she married marquis Camillo Casati Stampa and from then on she embarked on a very personal career as a living work of art.

Every single action she made was dictated by a desire of transgression and excess but also by the search for beauty and aesthetics.

She lived her youth as she was on a colossal stage, surrounded by such extravagant and refined luxury that any diva of the time quirk seemed to fade in front of her extremes.

For her legendary parties she even hired the entire piazza San Marco in Venice, as for her custom made dresses and outfits, they arouse scandal and amazement.

One of these was made of hundreds of feathers fixed on a see through fishnet fabric, but during the ball the plumage was falling leaving her virtually naked.

She loved to stroll with a boa around her neck, cheetah on the lead and hundreds of painters and photographers wanted to immortalize her. Her beyond limits lifestyle ended up leading her to bankruptcy and in 1930 her possessions were auctioned off.

She wrote an appeal to D’Annunzio, who had been one of her lovers, asking him to buy out some of her beloved objects, but the Vate did not help her.

She died in poverty in 1957 in London where she fled in order to escape her creditors.