Delfina Delettrez opens the door to her chic Paris apartment and talks to D’NA about growing up in a creative family and her favorite places to visit in Rome.
Delfina Delettrez's charming pied-à-terre in Paris’ 6th Arrondissement overlooks the quiet Place de Furstenberg, steps away from the bustle of St. Germain des Près. “It’s like having a front row seat at the movie theater. There are days when it’s very atmospheric,” says Delfina, looking out of her apartment window onto the square below. “I often sit at my desk and just sketch while watching the day unfold. It’s one of the most romantic places in the world,” continues Delettrez, who purchased the apartment for her stays in Paris during fashion week. Today she shows her creations to buyers in her chic home. “Some day I would like to live here for a while,” confides the designer.
When it came to decorating her Parisian home, Delfina sourced a mix of vintage Art Deco and Mid-Century pieces. “What attracted to me to those particular eras is their modern sensibility, using angular and sleek forms. There was also this attention to craft, combining different luxurious materials such as exotic woods, brushed chrome and fine leathers.”
To compliment her furnishings, Delettrez filled her bookshelves (and every available table) with stacks of books and inspired objects from her travels around the world. “I spent two days in Kuwait a few years back and visited Beirut, which reminded me of Brazil’s joie de vivre. Morocco is also a very magical and inspiring place for me, but I would like to explore more of the region in the future,” said the designer.
On the day we visited her apartment, an antique marble console had been transformed into a showcase for her latest creations. Dubbed “Love is in the Hair,” amongst Delfina’s offerings for spring 2012 were movable alligator rings, “DNA” bracelets and leather studded chokers, from which dangled Murano glass hearts containing everything from her signature eyes to a lock of hair. “I was researching old Victorian hair jewelry. These beautiful pieces were literally made from locks of hair and given as tokens of love,” explains the designer. “It goes back to the tradition of placing a piece of hair or picture in a locket. Jewelry can be very personal and I wanted to recreate that in a playful way.”
Part the designer’s research included taking a course in wig making at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera. The result is a group of fantastical hair pieces inspired by women throughout history. “Working with hair was an interesting learning process, especially at such a theatrical scale. Shortly after I finished school I designed theater costumes for three months, which was a very liberating experience,” says the designer whose hair sculptures adorned Collette’s windows during Paris fashion week.
A scion of one of Italian fashion's legendary families, Delfina’s cosmopolitan upbringing included a childhood spent in Rome, the South of France, and Rio de Janeiro. “Living in Brazil had a profound influence on my work. It was there that my love of exotic plants, animals and insects took root,” notes the jewelry designer.
Her exposure to the fashion world began early. The daughter of Silvia Venturini Fendi (the name behind the house’s iconic Baguette), Delfina conceived some of her first pieces in her mother’s workshop. “In the beginning I was just designing jewelry for my friends and family,” recalled the designer.
Since launching her eponymous line in 2007, after a stint in Chanel’s couture ateliers, Delettrez has developed a following for her whimsical and surrealist baubles. “Being exposed to my parents’ work and the Fendi workrooms from an early age, taught me about quality and craft,” says Delfina, who switches effortlessly between French and English.
Today Delettrez is based in Rome, where her one-of-a-kind pieces are brought to life by the city’s finest craftsmen. “Rome feeds me creatively and it’s a breath of fresh air. I’m often inspired by history and it’s a wonderful place to discover beauty in the past,” says Defina. “I love vintage clothing and there is a place in Rome called Mas, which sells over stock. You have to dig through a lot of racks, but I’ve found some amazing gems over the years. Another inspiring place is the Centrale Montemartini museum, which is housed in a former power station build in the 1890’s. Ancient Roman statues are displayed amongst the original machinery. Its industrial interiors inspired the design of my own house.”
