Earlier this fall, designer Veronica Etro collaborated with Italian liquor company Disaronno on a limited edition bottle covered in her signature paisley pattern. “The Paisley design and patterns in general are central to Etro’s past, present and future. Every season, we take a new journey with the print. Though we have invented thousands of prints, the paisley is by far the most famous and well known of our family’s patterns, it’s actually our signature pattern,” she told us.
Veronica, who designs the womenswear collections for the Milan based fashion label meshes her signature bohemian prints with flattering and classic silhouettes that are essentially timeless. The bottle is truly so pretty that I’ve been using it as a gorgeous object to display on my bookcase, much like Veronica displays her own collection of vintage art deco compacts cigarette cases in her own Milan home.
On her involvement with the design of the bottle she told us that the item is synonymous with the aesthetic of her own brand. “The noble roots of this sinuous, stylized palm frond can be traced back thousands of years ago to Mesopotamia. Since then, the design has been used on ancient Indian shawls, on Celtic embroideries and on 19th century Parisian shawls. My father began using the pattern in the 1980s and it quickly become the symbol of the Etro brand. Its journey, over the course of thousands of years, is very inspirational to me. I love symbols that are rich in history.”
We also had the opportunity to ask her seven simple questions on food, fashion, drinks, Milan and dinner parties here:
What’s your most unexpected, favorite restaurant in Milan?
Latteria San Marco, because nothing has changed in more than 30 years. It feels like home.
How does the city of Milan inspire the fabrics used in Etro?
Milan’s energy and its hidden treasures always inspire me.
What is your favorite cocktail?
Disaronno Sour, of course!
What’s your favorite place to go at night in Milan?
Restaurant and cinemas. I love the Duomo at night too, especially in winter when it’s foggy.
If you could have a dinner party with five guest, alive or dead, who would you choose?
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Papa Wojtyła, Madre Teresa di Calcutta and my husband.
Etro is synonymous with creating timeless pieces. Is there a cocktail, drink, beverage or meal that in your mind, is timeless?
Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino is a timeless recipe, calling for simple ingredients that every Italian has on hand in their kitchen. It’s truly a life saver when you need to whip up something simple and delicious.
How do you constantly reinvent your signature pattern while still making it feel fresh?
Every season we develop and reinvent the classic paisley design in new ways. It’s always stimulating to deal with such a decorative pattern as you can easily blend it with more geometrical designs, mix with flowers, stripes and polka dots or rework it with different techniques. Sometimes I look at it through a very classic lens and sometimes I like to completely revolutionize it. Either way, the design remains very powerful.
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