Giglio Man, New Boutique

CULT  [September 2001]

Wide and light spaces, large window shops, inside spaces in white and silver tones, an ideal background to emphasize precious dresses and particular accessories. The new Giglio Uomo Boutique opened in Croci Square, in Palermo, perfectly coherent with the Woman Boutique whose inauguration was last year. The two shops are physically connected to each other thanks to a glass door.

The elegant shop, with its simplicity and essential style offers the most prestigious brands to its customers: Versace , Giorgio Armani , Prada , Ralph Lauren and many more, in a contemporary space dominated by a big steel sculpture. This is a perfect setting to display pullovers and shirts. But the newest element is inside the boutique: a particular space dedicated to the guest – customers where they can enjoy a nice tea or a coffee in a friendly atmosphere.

Once again architects Lorenzo Carmellini and Rocco Magnoli, who take care of the fitting out of the Versace boutiques in the world,  cured the design of the new Giglio store .

“We have already been working for the realisation of the Giglio Donna Boutique , - explains Magnoli, - we imagined the shop like a wide boulevard, with wide window shops visible either from outside or from inside the store. We thought of Plexiglas walls and we realized a wide path using light materials, with the insertion of little silver pieces to stress out the walk and the rhythm of the space. We used the same criteria for the creation of the Man Boutique, and we carried on with the idea of the walk inside the shop. The nice flowery coffee terrace provides a touch of charme. According to the light of the sun the terrace changes it colours and tones, this is a connotative element because it denotes a kind of Sicilian atmosphere to a shop, which, in fact, could be everywhere else in the world”.

An exclusive party organized by the Giglio family, Milchele, his wife Maria Teresa, and sons Federico and Giuseppe,  celebrated the opening of the new store. The party was held in La Cuba, in Palermo. Among the many guests the judges Leonardo Guarnotta and Dino Cerami, the president of the provincial trade confederation Roberto Helg, lawyer Santi Magazzu, the Banco di Sicilia director’s deputy Carlo Dominici. Present on this occasion, from Rome and Milan, Mario Boselli, President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, general director of Prada Beatrice Sorbi, Stefanel’s administrator Angelo Barozzi, Helmut Lang general director Gabriele Maggio, and Toshisha president Keiichi Okhamoto.

Bellini, margarita, mohito, fruit cooler to open the party. After a multiethnic party presenting typical plates of the palermitan cuisine with Japanese traditional plates, the guests let themselves fall into temptation with south American live music live band animating the party.