Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/889110
I n preparation for this month's opening of the new Valentino boutique in Highland Park Village, I chatted with my longtime friend Carlos Souza (or Ka-Ka as we like to call him) to get his privileged insider view on everything past, present, and future Valentino. The life of Valentino's worldwide ambassador, as Souza's title might suggest, revolves around airport lounges and hotel suites. His face — and his sparkling personality, quick sense of humor, and charming Brazilian accent that varnishes the many languages he speaks — is one that you see at glamorous events around the globe. While Souza claims to have left New York permanently to move back to Rome at the personal request of Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino's creative director — Souza keeps an office in the brand's palatial headquarters in Piazza Mignanelli — it seems impossible to catch him in one place for more than 10 minutes to schedule a telephone call. I caught Souza on a stop in Rome, after time spent recharging in his beloved Brazil, where he keeps a stunning country home hidden in the mountains of the pristine Friburgo region. He tells me that it is the only place where he can truly escape the fashion world and concentrate on family life. There, he spends quality time with his ex-wife and best friend Charlene Shorto and their two children, and since the house is purposely not equipped with Wi-Fi, he goes through an essential digital detox while immersing himself in his other passion: gardening. Rome, of course, remains Souza's second favorite place on earth. He arrived to the Eternal City in his early 20s after meeting, at age 18, Mr. Valentino Garavani in Brazil during Carnival — he would go on to work as a model for Valentino in New York, hopping between Studio 54 and Andy Warhol's studio. Today, Souza believes Rome can still inspire with its constantly surprising beauty and gratifying quality of life. S o u z a , w h o for years was Mr. Valentino's right- hand man, is the lasting trait- d'union between the past and the future. After almost 40 years of living and breathing Valentino, he represents the rite of passage between two great generations of creative geniuses. The perfect combination of heritage and freedom of expression, he personally combines the memories, the grandeur, and the highest sense of style that Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti infused in the brand over the last four decades, with the less formal, wittier and relaxed appeal that Piccioli brings to the brand. When I ask him how the role of the muse has changed in today's creative process at Valentino, Souza explains that Piccioli views Rome itself as his only real muse. While Mr. Valentino surrounded himself with gorgeous, extremely elegant, and exceptionally refined women, Piccioli takes inspiration from hidden places within the city, people in the streets, and by keeping an eye on very current trends. Souza points out that life today is less formal — "less social and more social-media." And that there is "no more private; people do not have secrets anymore." As much as we used to think secrets were actually very chic, he schools me, "We should embrace this new more public and less contrived lifestyle. It's the future!" Since I truly believe Souza has the consummate pulse on today's trends, I asked him about his next project: a new book with Assouline, Comporta Bliss. Comporta, the exclusive, remote beach community on the Portuguese Atlantic shores, "is the next big thing," he explains. Together with Shorto, he has visited and photographed some of the most charming homes and inspiring residents, to be revealed in spring 2018. His first book, Carlos's Places, is a travel compendium of his favorite spots, places, restaurants, and shops, many of which we have indeed enjoyed together over the years. Therefore, I am looking forward to his adding a Dallas chapter to that list when he visits this month to lead the festivities at the opening fête for the Valentino boutique. Valentino, 47 Highland Park Village #9B, valentino.com. THE ROMAN Next Door EUROPEAN EDITOR AT LARGE FILIPPO TATTONI- MARCOZZI TALKS VALENTINO DNA WITH CARLOS SOUZA. Valentino Spring 2018 Carlos Souza