The Most Divine Couture: Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci Dresses Italian Statue of Blessed Virgin Mary

“Divine, simply divine!” are the very words which are generally uttered by the world’s leading fashion editors and bloggers when they are witnessing a winning collection of a fashion designer.

I am happy to learn that this time the word “divine” is finally put into a proper context when Riccardo Tisci –the creative director of Givenchy, the French legendary fashion house- personally designed and donated a couture cape for the statue of Blessed Virgin Mary holding The Blessed Infant Jesus Christ in Palagianello, the city in Puglia where Tisci’s parents came from.

The statue, which is called “Madonna delle Grazie”, was created in 1787 by a Neapolitan wood sculptor, Armenio Macario. The statue has been stored in a 17^th century old sanctuary that is located in the hilly area of Palagianello.

The couture cape is made from precious silk which is crafted in Como area. The golden embroidery on the cape took 3000 hours to stitch since Tisci would like to make special three-dimensional effect of the embroidery.

The crème de la crème of this cape is the 500 Swarovski crystals which were hand-sewn on the cloth.

The cape is naturally more than just a gorgeous example of Haute Couture, it is indeed an embodiment of the Most Divine Couture as a humble gift from Tisci, an Italian born Catholic designer, to the Blessed Virgin Mary as represented by the Madonna delle Grazie statue.

Grazie mille Signore Tisci for breaking the ceiling and becoming the first among your famous peers of designers to create the Most Divine Couture to Madonna delle Grazie. The world now can witness this amazing work of art to grace the Madonna statue. I personally can’t wait to return to Italy for a pilgrimage to the Madonna delle Grazie sanctuary.

A little note to my fellow Catholic and Christian Indonesian designers and fashionistas: it is time for all of you to step up the challenge and mark your creative influences. This could be established by a stronger cooperation with Catholic Archbishops and Bishops in Indonesia to creating similar initiatives. Don’t you wish to witness the landmark Pieta statue in Jakarta’s Cathedral all dressed up in a hand-painted sogan colored Batik cape with Kawung pattern by Seba, the well known nickname of Sebastian Gunawan (http://www.sebastiangunawan.com/) –one of Indonesia’s most prominent designers-, or the Sacred Heart of Christ Statue in Ganjuran with a cape made by Biyan Wanaatmadja, an award winning Indonesian designer whose popular sequinned dresses have now been sold exclusively through the Net-a-porter (http://www.net-a-porter.com/), or the Blessed Virgin Mary (“Madonna”) statue in the Grotto in Sendangsono to be graced with a hand-crafted Indonesian Ikat ivory colored cape by Oscar Lawalata, an Indonesian fashion prodigy (Oscar Lawalata’s interview in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxZ7Wt6Sfkg) as well as other Catholic sanctuaries? C’mon Indonesian designers and fashionista, let’s work together to make this happen. The time has arrived for us to show the world how diverse and colorful our traditional textiles are! Let’s make The Most Divine Couture happens in Indonesia.

Since 2005, Riccardo Tisci is the brain behind the revamped brand of Givenchy. Givenchy was created by Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy in 1952. Monsieur Givenchy now in his late 80s achieved great success and made all women drooled after his creations in the 1960s when Audrey Hepburn started to wear Givenchy not only for leisure but also during her movie making time in Hollywood. Remember that unforgettable scene where Hepburn wore her famous Givenchy’s gown at Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Funny Faces? However, after Hepburn, Givenchy brand has not quite received the media hype as it should have been. The situation changed until John Galliano and Alexander McQueen came to the scene. Then, as Tisci took over as the Creative Director, Givenchy has become the it brand which all fashionista, including the Hollywood heavyweights began to be dressed up in Tisci’s Givenchy from head to toe. Look at Kim Kardashian’s wedding to Kanye West, it was not only the couple who dressed up in Tisci’s Givenchy Haute Couture but also the cute little North West apparently also received a special designed dress by her Uncle Riccardo.

Be certain to like my Facebook page (JET’s Fashion Diplomacy), add me also on instagram (@JETJAKARTA) and twitter (@jonesey4eva) for most recent updates and rare previously unpublished photos of JET.

Photo and news source: Mr Riccardo Tisci’s instagram, homepages of Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair Italia, Piazza News, Di Baio, Hollywood Life, Yogyes, Sendangsono, Gereja Katedral Jakarta.

In early June 2015, Riccardo Tisci was invited to attend the special mass in the Church of Madonna delle Grazie. Tisci presented the Madonna and Child statue with his splendid creation of sky blue colored couture cape.

The 2 centuries old Madonna delle Grazie statue in a new couture cape by Riccardo Tisci.

Riccardo Tisci’s sketch of Madonna delle Grazie’s cape.

The procession of Madonna delle Grazie in Tisci’s couture cape.

Take a closer look at the majestic details of Madonna delle Grazie’s cape, including the intricate golden threads embroidery and Swarovski crystals.

Tisci’s  close up photo of the sacred Madonna delle Grazie before wearing his designed sky blue cape.

The Madonna delle Grazie church in the hilly area of Palagianello, Puglia, Italy.

Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy and his muse and dear friend, Audrey Hepburn. Ms Hepburn continued to wear abundant beautiful dresses by Givenchy throughout her lifetime.

Kim Kardashian, in her Tisci for Givenchy Haute Couture wedding dress with her husband Kanye West who also worn Tisci for Givenchy Men as well as their daughter North who also dressed up in Tisci’s Givenchy.

Tisci, the Givenchy’s creative director, with her muse and best friend, Kim Kardashian West.

Let’s work together dear Indonesian Catholic and Christian designers to assemble the finest cape made from the most exclusive hand-painted Batik with the pattern of parang rusak barong for the majestic Sacred Heart of Christ statue in the Ganjuran Sanctuary. Established in 1927, this sanctuary houses the miraculous statue in the form of a Javanese Monarch in the era of Majapahit. Look at the detailed Batik cloth on the sculpture and Javanese crown on the head of the statue. Obviously a parang patterned cape would be a notable companion to this divine statue. To date this sanctuary has received millions of local and international pilgrims and visitors.

Photo source: JET’s instagram (@JETJAKARTA), news source: (https://www.yogyes.com/id/yogyakarta-tourism-object/pilgrimage-sites/ganjuran/photo-gallery/2/)

Indonesian designers, I am certain that you would agree with my suggestion to dress the statue of Blessed Virgin Mary in the Grotto in Sendangsono, Central Java, with an ivory silk with lush golden embroidery and blueish indigo colored kawung patterned cape. Aside from its aesthetic function, the cape would also serve as the protector of this miraculous statue against the rain and humidity in the area. Isn’t it proper to elegantly dress the Blessed Virgin Mary who is also called and believed as The Immaculate Conception with an immaculately crafted cape?

Photo source: JET’s instagram (@JETJAKARTA), news source: (http://www.sendangsono.info/)

The Pieta statue (The grieving Blessed Virgin Mary is holding her deceased Son after His crucifixion) in the Jakarta’s Cathedral has been a place of pilgrimage and a landmark of the Cathedral since it was first placed inside the church more than a century ago. This miraculous statue would look even more glorious if it is dressed appropriately in a red colored silk cape with a cross pattern made by embossed Indonesian Batik. The photo shows my Mom, who is dressed in a green colored Indonesian Batik blouse, as she reached out to the nailed feet of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Photo source: JET’s instagram (@JETJAKARTA), news source: (http://www.katedraljakarta.or.id/berita-pieta.html)

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