Milan has long been the world's ready-to-wear fashion leader. Now, dogs are getting in on the Italian city's sartorial scene with a new line of haute couture for canines.
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, designer Giovanna Temellini kisses her dog Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wearing a winter coat created by Ms. Temellini, at the Temellini manufacture headquarters, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Dog a Porter, by the Milan brand Temellini, offers clothing custom-fit for different breeds, ranging from the tiny Chihuahua to the stately greyhound. The line includes cashmere knits, nylon bomber jackets with tiny arms, Sherlock Holmes-style capes and lined raincoats.
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Milan has long been the world's ready-to-wear fashion leader. Now, dogs are getting in on the Italian city's sartorial scene with a new line of haute couture for canines.
Dog a Porter, by the Milan brand Temellini, offers clothing custom-fit for different breeds, ranging from the tiny Chihuahua to the stately greyhound. The line includes cashmere knits, nylon bomber jackets with tiny arms, Sherlock Holmes-style capes and lined raincoats.
In this image taken on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wears a coat created by designer Giovanna Temellini at the Temellini boutique, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
"For me, a dog is well-dressed only when it has freedom of movement, when it is not constrained," Temellini said. "It is OK to dress a dog when it is cold, but a dog needs to live his live as a dog. This is important."
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, dog owner Amanda Smith stands with Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wearing a winter coat created by designer Giovanna Temellini, as they walk outside the Temellini manufacture headquarters, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In fact, many of the dog garments have corresponding numbers for women, such as the long, flowing black cotton skirt a pet owner could wear while walking her dog outfitted in a black chenille jacket.
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, chief designer Silvia Radaelli, left, and fashion designer Giovanna Temellini try a coat on Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, a creation by Ms. Temellini at the Temellini manufactory headquarters, in Milan, Italy.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
But the Temellini atelier also does made-to-order items, applying the experience it gained over decades making samples for some of Milan's top fashion houses, including Ermanno Scervino, Bottega Veneta and Max Mara.
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, Giorgia, a customer holds her dachshund 'Pardo', wearing a winter coat creation by designer Giovanna Temellini, at the Temellini manufactory headquarter, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Patrizia Radaelli is a happy Dog a Porter customer. She couldn't find anything to warm Eddie, her 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier-Volpino Italiano mix.
The capes cost 170 euros ($208) and synthetically filled hooded parkas go for 210 euros ($256) to reflect the extra time it takes to get the fine stitching on the elasticized sleeves just right.
Designer Giovanna Temellini says fashionable dog clothes aren't just an indulgence. Her luxury outerwear not only protects pooches accustomed to being indoors when they are brought outside, but take into account the builds of various types of dogs, she said.
This image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, shows a label on a dog coat created by designer Giovanna Temellini, at the Temellini manufacture headquarters, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In this image taken on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wears a coat created by designer Giovanna Temellini at the Temellini boutique, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
"For me, a dog is well-dressed only when it has freedom of movement, when it is not constrained," Temellini said. "It is OK to dress a dog when it is cold, but a dog needs to live his live as a dog. This is important."
Speaking from personal experience, the designer notes that Ulysses, her long-haired Afghan Hound, requires five hours of grooming if he gets wet in the rain. A raincoat prevents the hassle, she said.
Temellini launched Dog a Porter a year ago alongside her 20-year-old eponymous clothing line for women. She opened a boutique in Milan's chic Brera neighborhood this week, selling women's ready-to-wear and canine couture side-by-side.
In this image taken on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, fashion designer Giovanna Temellini, top, talks as her dog Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wears one of her creations, at the Temellini boutique, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, dog owner Amanda Smith stands with Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, wearing a winter coat created by designer Giovanna Temellini, as they walk outside the Temellini manufacture headquarters, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In fact, many of the dog garments have corresponding numbers for women, such as the long, flowing black cotton skirt a pet owner could wear while walking her dog outfitted in a black chenille jacket.
The market appears ripe for such a venture in fashion-conscious Italy, where some 7 million dogs are registered as pets, or one for every 3.7 families, according to statistics from ASSALCO, an association of producers of pet food and other pet items.
The money Italians lavished on dogs and cats grew 10 percent during 2013-2016 to nearly 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion), the association said in a 2017 report.
Temellini said the toughest part about designing for dogs was the sizing. The long bodies and stout thoraxes of dachshunds, for example, had to be taken into account. In all, the Dog a Porter line has five basic shapes.
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, customers Amanda Smith, left, and Giorgia, walk with Ulisse an Afghan greyhound, and a dachshund 'Pardo', wearing winter coats created by designer Giovanna Temellini outside the Temellini manufactor headquarters, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, chief designer Silvia Radaelli, left, and fashion designer Giovanna Temellini try a coat on Ulisse, an Afghan greyhound, a creation by Ms. Temellini at the Temellini manufactory headquarters, in Milan, Italy.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
But the Temellini atelier also does made-to-order items, applying the experience it gained over decades making samples for some of Milan's top fashion houses, including Ermanno Scervino, Bottega Veneta and Max Mara.
"Something that made me laugh was to see a professional, a lawyer, come in with his Saluki, and he wanted a made-to-measure coat for his dog," Temellini said. "He said all his clothes were made-to-measure, and he wanted the same for his dog."
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, employees Angela and Jenny sew dog coats as half-breed Akita-Labrador 'Willy' stands by at the Temellini manufactory headquarters, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, Giorgia, a customer holds her dachshund 'Pardo', wearing a winter coat creation by designer Giovanna Temellini, at the Temellini manufactory headquarter, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Patrizia Radaelli is a happy Dog a Porter customer. She couldn't find anything to warm Eddie, her 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier-Volpino Italiano mix.
"He's a little old and gets very cold in the winter," Radaelli said. "Usually, he would get very fussy when I dressed him with other items. But never with Giovanna's fabrics."
Now, Eddie turns heads when he does his evening business wearing a striped cashmere sweater under a navy blue parka, Radaelli said.
In this image taken on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, chief designer Silvia Radaelli plays with 'Anubi, an Afghan greyhound, at the Temellini manufactory headquarters, in Milan, Italy. Milan has long been known for its pret-a-porter. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
ROME (AP) — Italy on Thursday marked its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule with marches, monologues and a media controversy over the legacy of Italian complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes.
The day began with the solemn Liberation Day commemoration at Rome's tomb of the unknown soldier. Presiding was Italy's president and Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that emerged after the fall of dictator Benito Mussolini.
It ended with marches, speeches and occasional clashes between police and pro-Palestinian groups who used the occasion to voice outrage at Israel's war in Gaza.
But inbetween, this year’s anniversary was overshadowed by a media storm over the decision by state-run RAI television to spike a planned Liberation Day monologue by an Italian author denouncing fascism and what he said was Meloni’s refusal to repudiate it.
The issue struck a nerve in Italy, where Meloni’s 2022 election as the first hard-right leader since World War II has revived criticism that Italians haven’t fully reckoned with their fascist past as ordinary Germans did with the Nazi era.
The suggestion that RAI censored Antonio Scurati’s monologue because it criticized Meloni and lingering neo-fascist sentiment in Italy has dominated newscasts for days, and probably drew far more attention to the text than it would have if RAI had aired it as planned.
Scurati is the author of the prize-winning volume “M,” about Mussolini’s rise and its parallels with the present day.
In the end, Scurati read the monologue aloud in person from the podium of Milan's main Liberation Day event Thursday, holding a red carnation as he read — the symbol of the Italian Socialists who opposed Mussolini's rise.
The text recounted two well-known incidents: the June 10, 1924 assassination of Giacomo Matteotti, a Socialist lawmaker opposed to fascism by Mussolini hitmen; and the 1944 massacres of Italian civilians during the waning period of Nazi occupation.
“These two concomitant mournful anniversaries — spring of ’24, spring of ’44 — proclaim that fascism was throughout its historical existence — not only at the end or occasionally — an irredeemable phenomenon of systematic, murderous and massacre-fueled political violence,” Scurati said. “Will the heirs of that history recognize this for once? Everything, unfortunately, suggests that they will not.”
Meloni has tried to distance her Brothers of Italy party from its neo-fascist roots and has gone out of her way to forge ties with Italy’s Jewish community. Her forces have backed a long-delayed project for a Holocaust Museum and have strongly supported Israel, including in its current war in Gaza.
But the opposition has accused Meloni and her forces of refusing to firmly declare themselves “anti-fascist.”
In a bid to put the issue to rest, Meloni in recent days published Scurati's essay on her own Facebook page with an introduction accusing the left-wing opposition of concocting a scandal where none existed.
In the post, Meloni said she didn't know who at RAI decided to cancel the Scurati appearance. But she noted that the state-run broadcaster had said it just didn’t want to pay Scurati the agreed-upon 1,800 euros ($1,930) "for a one-minute monologue.”
In an Instagram post Thursday, Meloni didn't refer to the controversy and again avoided using the term “anti-fascist.” But she celebrated how Liberation Day symbolized “the end of fascism” and "laid the foundations for the return of democracy."
“We reaffirm our aversion to all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Those of yesterday, which oppressed peoples in Europe and the world, and those of today, which we are determined to oppose with commitment and courage,” she wrote.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella, whose ceremonial position puts him above the political fray, took a harder line. After laying a wreath with Meloni at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome, he travelled to the Tuscan town of Civitella, site of a 1944 Nazi massacre of 244 civilians.
There, he demanded that Italians never forget the “Nazi-fascist barbarism” of World War II, including what he said was the fascist propaganda and censorship that sought to deny the massacres, murders, deportations and other crimes that took place on Italian soil.
“It is necessary — today and in the future — to remember those massacres and victims,” Mattarella said. “Without memory, there is no future.”
RAI has launched an internal investigation into the decision-making that led to Scurati's monologue being cancelled.
Perhaps predictably, the suggestion that the state-run broadcaster spiked a text critical of Meloni's governing party has drawn attention to it, with calls for mayors to use their Liberation Day speeches this year to quote from it.
“At the root, there is a rule not to be forgotten,” commentator Aldo Grasso wrote in Corriere della Sera. “Once a text is censored, there is a strong risk that the text itself is no longer controllable and goes its own unpredictable way." He termed it the "boomerang effect.’"
People unfold a Ukrainian flag as they march on the occasion of Liberation Day in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
Police face people holding Palestinians flags as they march on the occasion of Liberation Day in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that emerged after the fall of dictator Benito Mussolini, joined the Italian president at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
A police officer prevents contacts between the Jewish brigade and supporters of Palestinian communities in Italy and pro-Palestine activists during a march in Rome on Liberation Day commemorations Thursday , April 25, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
People hold Palestinians flags as they march during the solemn Liberation Day commemoration, in Rome, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that emerged after the fall of dictator Benito Mussolini, joined the Italian president at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni arrives at the tomb of the unknown soldier for the solemn Liberation Day commemoration, in Rome, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that emerged after the fall of dictator Benito Mussolini, joined the Italian president at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni talks with President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa during a ceremony at the Altar of the Fatherland for the 79th anniversary of the Liberation Day that commemorates the victory of the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic. in Rome, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
People holding Palestinians flags march on the occasion of Liberation Day in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
Palestinian supporters hold a banner reading "Yesterday partisans, today antiZionists and antifascists" as they march on the occasion of the Liberation Day commemoration marking Italy's liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule, in Rome, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with the president of the Republic Sergio Mattarella during a ceremony at the Altar of the Fatherland for the 79th anniversary of the Liberation Day that commemorates the victory of the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic. in Rome, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
