Ready to Wear, Capri Island Styles
Iconic & Timeless: The Capri Pants
The tiny Island of Capri holds an outsized influence on the fashion world, but in the early part of the century, Capri was not the glitterati magnet it is today. Back then, the primary drivers of the economy were agriculture and fishing. So when Hollywood came calling in the 1940s, there was little infrastructure for tourism and island fashion was limited to local artisans.
Today, elite fashion brands dominate the exclusive shopping enclaves on the island, but a few local artisans have survived here for generations mainly because they helped launch two essential elements of fashion found in just about every closet in the world: Capri pants and Capri sandals.
The Origin of Capri Pants & Sandals
If you’ve ever seen photos of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onasis on Capri from the ’60s, you’ve seen the work of the Costanzo family. Hand-made sandals made famous by the rich and famous. They come in every shape, color, and size, but no two pairs are the same. Pick your color, pick your jewels, choose your style, and your unique vision is created in front of your eyes by master craftsman Antonio Constanzo and his daughter Francesca with tools developed by the family patriarch Ruocco. Emperor Tiberius served as the inspiration for the Capri sandal; the design is found in ancient frescoes and paintings throughout the Mediterranean. Amazing to think first-century Roman fashion is still fashionable today-but style, like tradition, never gets old here.
Capri pants were created by Munich designer Sonja de Lennart in 1945 and named after her favorite place in the world. The tight, three-quarter pants with the stylish short slit on the outer side of the pant leg were first modeled by German actress Mady Rahl but were considered a bit too sexy for everyday wear. However, Capri has always had its own fashion rules, and women were encouraged to wear them while vacationing there. It wasn’t until Audrey Hepburn wore Capri’s in her 1954 hit “Sabrina” that Capri’s finally became mainstream and were embraced by Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly.
The Fashion of Women’s Capris
The demand for authentic Capri pants made on Capri skyrocketed, and many tailors on the Island turned to making them exclusively during the summer months. One of these tailors, Alberto Staiano, opened a shop called Alberto that is still run today by his daughter Anna Staiano. She recalls that her father was so busy making Capri’s that some days he made 50-60 pairs!
Today Capri is a nexus for top designers worldwide and is recognized for its colorful, sophisticated style called Moda di Capri–Capri fashion. Like every good thing from Capri, it is the purest expression of life’s ingenuity, passion, and love.
