D.Aria Reina has just celebrated the seven years of his arrival with the brand Chez Dedefounded with her husband, the illustrator Andrea Ferollain Via di Monserrato a Rome. Their shop, with an atelier inside, is halfway between a Wunderkammer-room of wonders, a point of sale where you can discover exclusive collections such as small éditions of accessories, clothing, jewels and decorations for the home, and also a meeting place. And next June 15th Daria will officially inaugurate W The Store, inside the new Hotel W in Rome, a boutique curated by her, not only in the objects but also in the furnishings, from green velvet curtains as theatrical backdrops to boudoir-style poufs. But W also means Wunderkammer and Wonder, wonder, amazement. And with this in mind, here is his Authentic Rome, a little secret. Wonderful.
What are you inspired by in Rome?
Especially from theaters and museums, because they collect the highest percentage of poetry that humans have been able to create. From places of art. But also from bookstores, such as the Cascianelliin Largo Febo, today managed by the opera set designer Valentina La Rocca, who sells antique and illustrated books (it is also one of the Gucci Places in Rome, recommended by the artistic director Alessandro Michele, ed.). And then there Fahrenheit 451in Piazza Campo de ‘Fiori, where I always like to browse through volumes of myths like Cecil Beaton and Elsa Schiapparelli.
Daria Reina in her shop in Rome. (press office)
What does wonder mean in what he does every day?
I think it is having intercepted the air du temps in Rome before the others, the great return of vintage. I don’t have the ambition to go wide, but to go deep, I like to root what I’m doing, to make it arrive in a sensible way, to discover special things. Small hidden treasures are often a source of inspiration.
The Roman artisans and the work they hand down are also wonderful …
Yes definitely. I love to promote the realities of small artisans. For example, the Doll’s Shopthat plays delightful theaters with music boxes, to which I had dedicated the Christmas window. Also various fashion brands, small and then become known and respected by those who make fashion, do not buy it, it is heartening. We do a great search for materials produced in a sustainable and conscious way: the Italian spirit, the ancient crafts, the know-how, many talents have gone to train workers abroad are very close to my heart, it is right to give a voice to those who have remained.
Garments and accessories chosen by Daria for Chez Dede.
A wonderful and not obvious neighborhood for you?
San Saba, near the Aventine, where our brand was born. At the beginning of the twentieth century it was known as the Garbatella, where the workers’ forces lived there. Today it is sought after, there are few houses, a square with small gardens, all on a human scale, like a village. We now live in Monteverde, but when we started we lived there: we had a small studio with a garden, then in 2015 we moved to via di Monserrato.
Rome Via di Monserrato (ph Daria Reina)
The whole of Via di Monserrato is full of addresses to write down …
Nearby I had studied at the Costume & Moda Academy, it has always been a route particularly dear to me. I like his shops. Hollywoodwhere you rent films from all over the world, the card from them is inevitable, or Joséphine, a small food and wine shop of a Parisian entrepreneur, the latest to arrive in the street. But also Fabio Salini Jewels, Maison HalabyThe Archives of Monserrato di Soledad Twombly, LabSolue Perfume Laboratory and the laboratory of floral design by Dylan Trippin a former artisan tailor’s shop, which it also organizes courses in flower arrangement. The true nature of Via di Monserrato is that we also like to do things together, collaborate, meet in common activities, for example the designer artist Gilbert Halaby wrote a book and my husband Andrea took care of the graphics. But also join forces and create charity events, as happened after the Beirut explosion to help the local Red Cross.
You often collaborate for hotels. In Rome for whom in particular?
We took care of the decoration of theHotel De ‘Ricci, in via della Barchetta, but it is the first time that I open a boutique in a hotel: this one of W Rome was a challenge, I like their brand because it is young and contemporary and I love to combine modern elements with other vintage ones, to a timeless style. For them I have created exclusive collections, including beneficial bracelets, of which each sold is a gallon of water for the families of Haiti, with brass medals with joking phrases that recall Rome.
Chez Dede in via di Monserrato in Rome (ph. Daria Reina)
Restaurants of the heart?
Pierluigi, where you always go for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. But also La Matricianawith original 1930s and 40s furnishings, opposite the Opera House. Al Moronear the Trevi Fountain but not at all touristy, where you happen to eat next to Calatrava or other talents. Old Rome in Piazza Campitelli, in the Rome of the Ghetto, where Falcone had had his last dinner before leaving for Palermo and Ennio Morricone was at home: it has a nice terrace and serves a good buffet appetizer, as is traditional in Roman villages. But also To the Firefighter, historic tavern in a seventeenth-century building. For years Andrea and I have been going by Settimio al Pellegrino, we liked its cuisine and family management: now it has just changed management, I hope that the new host gives continuity to the history of the place. I love the most authentic places, with flavor and with a beautiful past.
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