Art Blended with Heart

Art Blended with Heart

 

By Kathryn Wexler /©2005 The Miami Herald¹,

Knight² Ridder Newspaper.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services International

 

Dresses designed by Carlos Miele draw double takes before the eager buyer takes one home

 

1

Designer Carlos Miele doesn’t sketch³ dresses. He composes them. Draping fabric⁴ over a mannequin, he cuts and he pins, giving form to his imagination. His method is to begin at the end and work his way backward, from dress to pattern.

 

The result is gowns with unusual structures and depth. Simple shifts, they’re not. “My clothes are pretty much three dimensions,” Miele says, “but my challenge is not to make the woman big.”

 

“I work like a sculptor,” he says. “I build [the gown] in my mind.” Miele, a 41-year-old Brazilian native with Italian parents, collaborates⁵ with Brazilian cooperatives, integrating their handiwork into his US$1,000 dresses.

 

No rhythm, but flair⁶

 

He may be a cerebral⁷ designer, but what Miele really wanted was to make music. “I tried to be a musician but I couldn’t. I tried the trumpet⁸ and drums but I don’t have any rhythm,” Miele says.

 

Fashion design, though, is working out pretty well for him. His Brazilian-made evening gowns have shown at New York’s Fashion Week for several years and are sold in high-end English stores like Harvey Nichols and Harrods. A buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue told him after his show last year that they wanted to ratchet up their display of his line—“the best news I had in my whole career,” Miele says.

 

Style and color

 

Miele’s collection invites whispered comparisons to that of fashion legend Roberto Cavalli. With vibrant⁹ bits of slippery color—gorgeous corals, reds and peaches—their fluid dresses kiss the torso, flare¹⁰ at the hip¹¹ and ripple¹² down the body. But a dress by Cavalli holds no secrets. Miele’s, meanwhile, has a complexity¹³ that can require a double take before a buyer takes it home.

Vocabulary Focus

double take (n) the instance of looking at someone or something and then looking again, usually because one notices something unusual

dimension (n) [di5menFEn] a measurement of something in a particular direction, especially its height, length, width or depth

ratchet up (v) to increase something in quantity or size

 

Specialized¹⁴ Terms

mannequin (n) 人体模型；模特儿 a life-size model of a person, used to show clothes in a shop

shift (n) 直筒式宽松女服 a simple dress that hangs straight from the shoulders

cerebral (adj) 知性的；理性的 demanding careful reasoning and mental effort rather than feelings

艺术与心灵的结合

许美鸾 译

 

卡洛斯·米勒设计的衣服让人忍不住多看一眼，然后热衷的顾客就会带一件回家

1

设计师卡洛斯·米勒不为衣服画草图，他创作衣服。他把布披挂在人体模型上，裁剪、固定、让脑海中的想象成形。他的方式是从结尾倒着做回去，从衣服回到纸样。

结果是具有独特结构和深度的礼服。它们不是简单的直筒式宽松女服。米勒说：“我的衣服几乎是立体的，但我的挑战是不能让女人显得臃肿。”

“我像雕塑家一样工作，”他说：“我在脑种塑造（礼服）。”41岁的米勒生长在巴西当地，父母是意大利人；他和巴西工厂合作，在自己要价1000美元的衣服中加入他们的手工。

 

没有节奏感，只有时尚感

米勒虽然是一个理性的设计师，但他真正想做的是创作音乐。他说：“我试着做个音乐家，但行不通。我试过玩小喇叭和鼓，但我就是没有节奏感。”

可是时装设计倒是很适合他。他的“巴西制造”晚礼服已经在纽约时装周展示好几年了，并且在高档英国商店如哈维尼克斯和哈洛德百货出售。去年他的服装秀结束后，沙克斯第五街百货公司的采购告诉她，他们打算展示更多他的服饰系列——“这是我整个职业生涯种听过最好的消息。”米勒说。

 

风格和颜色

米勒的服装引起一些窃窃私语，将其与时尚传奇人物罗伯托·卡瓦利的作品相提并论。他们的衣裳有着漂亮的珊瑚色、红色和桃色等鲜明流动的色彩，轻触身躯，在臀部开展，再顺着身体呈波浪状而下。卡瓦利的衣服一眼看尽风华，米勒的却有一种复杂性，使顾客带回家前可能需要再看一眼。

1 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

2 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

3 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

4 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

5 collaborates   

合作( collaborate的第三人称单数 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Third, main economy Central Bank collaborates to cut the interest rate. 第三，主要经济体央行联手降低利率。
• Any one who collaborates should be shot. 与敌人勾结者一律枪决。

6 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

7 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

8 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

9 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

10 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

11 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

12 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

13 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

14 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。