In 1922, Luisa Casati acquired the Palais Rose, previously owned by the poet and dandy the Comte Robert de Montesquiou; this elegant mansion of red marble was situated in the exclusive enclave of Le Vésinet just outside of Paris. There, the Marchesa transformed a detached pavilion into a private art gallery devoted to the glorification of her own image. Within this sanctum, visitors could view more than one hundred and thirty renderings of Casati by master artists in oil, ink, pastel, clay, bronze and wax. It is no wonder that the Marchesa's residence became known as her very own Palais du rêve: Luisa's dream palace. Following here is a tantalizing selection of such artworks, as well as contemporary fashions inspired by La Casati.
1. The Palais Rose, ca. 1922
2. Luisa Casati in her Alecchino bianco costume by Guiglio de Blaas, 1913
3. Luisa Casati in 18th-century fancy dress by Guiglio de Blaas, 1913
4. Sketch of Luisa Casati by
Augustus John, ca. 1942
5. The Marchesa Casati by
Federico Beltrán Masses, 1920
6. Luisa by Kees van Dongen, 1921
7. The Marchesa Casati by
Roberto Montenegro, 1914
8. Un lent réveil après de métempsycoses by Alberto Martini, 1912
Casati Inspires Contemporary Fashion
John Galliano Spring/Summer 1998 Haute Couture by John Galliano
© by Christian Dior Couture, Paris
Tom Ford for YSL Rive Gauche Spring/Summer 2004 Prêt-à-Porter
by Tom Ford
© by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Alexander McQueen Spring 2007
Prêt-à-Porter
by Alexander McQueen
© by Alexander McQueen
John Galliano for Dior Autumn/Winter 2007/2008
Haute Couture
by John Galliano
© by Christian Dior Couture, Paris
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel 2009/2010 Croisière
by Karl Lagerfeld
© by Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel
Dries Van Noten Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 Prêt-à-Porter
by Dries Van Noten
© by Patrice Stable - STUDIO MIL PAT
Alberta Ferretti Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 Limited Edition
by Alberta Ferretti
© by Alberta Ferretti
Bill Gaytten for John Galliano Autumn/Winter 2017/2018
Prêt-à-Porter
by Bill Gaytten
© by John Galliano (Paris)
Copyright and Proprietary Rights. Contact The Casati Archives / Ryersson & Yaccarino to license images from this gallery for any purpose whatsoever (including, but not limited to print or Internet use). The rights to all images on this Web site are owned by The Casati Archives / Ryersson & Yaccarino, unless otherwise specified. None of these materials may be reproduced, transmitted, copied or distributed in any manner for commercial or personal use. Without prior written consent from The Casati Archives / Ryersson & Yaccarino, any such unauthorised activity will be treated as a breach of copyright and legal action will be taken to protect these rights. This includes the usage of pirated images for commercial and non-commercial purposes obtained via Internet image searches. Please refer to the final paragraph at the About Casati page for a more detailed description of copyright infringement issues.