As I was saying, Saturday is the peak of our Carnival, here in Milan, so I’ve decided to bring you a miscellaneous of illustrations, costume, masks and everything that makes this celebration so special. In every other region, Carnival starts tomorrow: I hope I was able to bring you in the mood, even if this will be most likely an indoor Carnival for all of us.
1. Illustrations
1.1. Silvia Dotti
Silvia works in Milan, where I live, and she did a couple of illustrations for the Venetian carnival. My favourite is this one.
1.2. RedGateArts
Ruth and Kate Sampson from RedGateArts, based in Canterbury UK, have beautiful illustrations that are reminding of Henri Rousseau and the other primitivists / surrealists guys from back than (particularly Kate’s work). Needless to stay that I love their work. They did a couple of carnival-based work: an illustration for the Carnival in Venice, and another one for the Carnival in Rio. Both of them are wonderful, but since Rio’s carnival is a little too sunny for me, I give you the Venice one.
2. Masks
2.1. Venetian Masks
If you’re looking for something close to the traditional Venetian mask, which in Italy you can find also at the newspaper stand in Central Station, I suggest you take a look at this shop: he has handmade stuff and reviews seem to be good. My favourite are the plague doctor (which might be considered in poor taste, this year), the Columbine mask (one of the traditional shapes), and this ravishing cat mask (also below). They also have masks with a cyberpunk twist (see this one for instance) or with a steampunk twist (like this one).
2.2 Masks from Bologna
One of my favourite artisans when it comes to masks is Fabula, run by Anna Storci in Bologna (central-northern Italy). They do leather-boiled masks and they are absolutely incredible. Take a look at this Scaramouche one, dyed in dark red, or this boar one, if you want to scare the crap out of the people you’re lockdowning with. My absolute favourite is the eagle one, also below.
3. Headpieces and Accessories
3.1. Feathers from Missouri
There’s no carnival without feathers and it’s a fact. If you’re looking for some extravagant pieces, ZuckerFeatherPlace is the spot for you. You can go from dark to steampunk, but I’ll surprise you by saying that my favourite is the turquoise ostrich wings.
3.2. British Crowns
Ellys Beale from FridaFlowerCrowns does gem-encrusted headpieces with flowers, shells, crystals and such. One of her favourite topics seems to be the mermaid crown, at which she absolutely excels. Take a look for instance at this one.
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