2009 – Regina della Cucina

The “Regina della Cucina” was inspired  by various things: about two years ago I found an old kitchen curtain from the 50s on my favourite flea market in Hamburg. And since I love copper I also was caught by the copper baking casts I saw on the flea markets. I also love cooking and when I met Maria, who lives upstairs in the house where we stay during the last years now in Venice during carnevale I suddenly had it all together: the fabric, the copper and the Regina (since Maria is an excellent chef and has a TV show on cooking in Italian TV on Sundays and a cooking school in Venice). I thought she would be a very graceful and charming person to wear that costume. A real Regina! Perfect recipe for a perfect costume. Of course I was eager to wear that costume, too!!! I absolutely loved making it. The headpiece (poor Maria) is made of rattan wood (the spaghetti) and real copper casts. And I love the veggies on it. But it is comparatively heavy and stiff. So even if it looks fantastic, a stiff neck from balancing (it is not the weight that is difficult when wearing these headpieces, it’s the statics and balance) is guaranteed. But Maria agreed that it is worth it (she is a real partner in crime 🙂 and said: Beauty needs suffering. So we agreed that it is worth every aspirine we had to take. Her shoes are also coppered and there are spoons on it. The plates (Versace of course) and silverware on the back are a photography that was printed on an expensive damask tablecloth. The napkins are real. The manicotto (muff) as a grilled chicken was a bummer. The people in the streets loved it. And I cried tears laughing when I made it. The stick mask of paper should resemble Archimboldos paintings and Maria’s metal stick mask is a brass pan I found on a flea market (where else?). My dad cut the holes for the eyes in it – thanks dad, for your help!

The Re I made a bit later cause I thought it would be a shame to let a Regina walk alone. His walking-stick has a meat-hammer So watch out when you meet him. No nasty comments on his hat… or 🙂

And the Principessa of course also followed cause I had the wish to sit in Caffe Florian with my dear husband Tobias and our little darling Sophia (I don’t put her out for a real carnival thing yet. Just one day when it is more quiet and a just in the Florian she is allowed to be in costume with us. No show, no big stage. She should decide in a few years by herself if she wants all that. So her beautiful dress and the hermeline coat were just made for one day. But that is fine for me.). Her little cap with the lace is made of a napkin from the Caffe Florian which I got from the Maitre of the Florian a year ago.