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November 6, 2014

Scene and Heard: Carlos Souza

“I was in a meeting, playing with Instagram, and my editor said, ‘What are you playing with?’ She saw all of my pictures and the next day she called and said, ‘We gotta do a book!'” said Valentino brand ambassador Carlos Souza on Tuesday, October 5, at the Italian fashion house’s boutique in San Francisco. #Carlos’s Places (Assouline) includes over two-and-a-half years of photographs from Souza’s international travels and offers an insider’s look at some of the chicest spots in various culture capitals. “It follows the calendar of my year. I start the year in Gstaad then I travel to Los Angeles for the Golden Globes, then I go to Paris for couture. At the end of each chapter, I give you my tips for each trip: the best hotels, the best restaurants, the food I order, and my friends from each city.” And sure enough, as guests refreshed their Instagram feeds, they saw Grant Avenue in San Francisco transformed into one of #Carlos’s Places.

But guests at the book signing and dinner wanted to talk about Rome, following the house’s announcement that Valentino will move its July couture show to the Eternal City, rather than showing at its traditional location in Paris. “It’s for one season only,” said Souza “We are inaugurating our flagship store, one of the biggest in Europe, opening in the Piazza Mignanelli.” Souza hinted that the location may inspire some of the looks, and he noted its historic roots on the international fashion circuit. “I foresee that a lot of the Roman inspiration will be present in the collection, but I don’t guarantee! It will be in the same spot that Valentino himself used to have his high fashion shows. Before going to Paris, it was a famous Piazza for the fashion shows.”

When in Rome, Souza said he stays in his own historic apartment in the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele. “It’s like the Meatpacking District in New York,” said Souza. “All the galleries, film directors, people that sell antiques, they are all mixed together there. It’s like a cauldron of races in the city, very colorful!”

But rather than dwell on places he’s already photographed, Souza was keen to talk about his next trip. When asked what future cities he hopes to chronicle, Souza replied without hesitation “Lisbon, Marrakech, and I’m mad about Tokyo and Kyoto!”

By Jennifer McCullum

 

Pictured: Carlos Souza & Denise Hale
Photo by: Drew Altizer

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