Period dresses and tea on the grass, relive the Victorian dream

CAGLIARI - A blast from the past between corsets, skirts made wide by crinolines, lace, umbrellas, elegant cylinders next to steampunk gothic outfits that refer to the science fiction of the time. In imaginative reinterpretations and original creations. With its tableaux vivants, Victorian England relives on May 28 at the Public Gardens of Cagliari on a spring Sunday.
Climate suitable for walks of ladies and gentlemen in period clothes, pastimes such as chess, cushions lying on the grass for an English tea served on precious porcelain. Then music, dances, make-up and wig stations with a barber's chair for very accurate beards and mustaches, puppet shows and games for the little ones. And, eagerly awaited, the musical of 250 students of 14 classes with their 30 teachers of the artistic-musical high school Foiso Fois: Vanity Fair, the vanity fair, theme of the 2023 edition, inspired by the famous novel by Thackeray.
"La grande Jatte", an event now in its eleventh edition, finds its usual space between paths and centuries-old ficus. An outdoor lounge where the contests are staged, with a jury that will award the best Victorian dress for men and women, the best steampunk outfit for men and women and children. Beards and mustaches, picnics and banquets are also competing. For the clothes there will be two juries, public and experts, the latter chaired by Gianfranco Orrù, winner of the Arbiter 2021 award, excellence of Italian tailoring. A very attended event in the name of elegance, imagination, creativity, fun and a pinch of goliardy.
With scenes that seem to come out of the pages of novels or from a painting.
And it is inspired by a painting by Georges Seurat, "A Sunday afternoon on the island of Grande-Jatte", title of the event on Sunday 28 organized by Mad2Factory chaired by Claudia Cabitza, artistic director, with the collaboration of Gian Luca Starita, professor of Foiso Fois." For years as a former student I tried to involve the institute - says Cabitza - It is really exciting to be able to collaborate with the school in such an unconventional event. And perhaps, if there is a buzzword that represents La Grande Jatte, it is really 'unconventional'. We approach this new edition after two years of stoppage, with a mixture of performance anxiety and happiness - confesses the artistic director - It does not claim to be a historical reconstruction, everyone can indulge themselves with what they have at home. We hope to be able to give once again a small dream, Victorian, to everyone and to all".