living
http://www.vogue.inVOGUEINDIAJUNE 2019203
to be exposedto a world of refinedaes-
thetics when I moved to Manhattanto
study.”Meanwhile, across the world,
in Paris, Cecile was learning about
style from her motherwho “loved an-
tiques.”“I rememberafter a weekend
in London,”she tells me, “she decided
toredecorate[mysister’sandmy]bed-
roominLauraAshleyfabricsandwall-
paper.” This eventually merged in
their home. “I boughta lot of chairs
and furniture at Les Puces de St-
Ouen,” says Cecile, “And contempo-
rary designer objets. Our two styles
match perfectly, and Peter adds his
magic touch with fabric.” Visitors to
their home are usuallythrilledto see
so many textilesand patternsand col-
ours, but mostly,says Peter, “The ap-
peal is the sense that ours is a home
filled with stories and of objects tied to
stories about who we are as a family.”
PRINTPARADE
TheircollectivebrandTaliannaStudio
is a design and productdevelopment
atelier,creatingluxuryfabricsforinte-
rior decoration.The “brandstory,”as
theyspellitoutforme,isallaboutpat-
terns, linked to the historyof decora-
tive arts and classicismfrom cultures
all aroundthe world. In 2012, Cecile
developeda garmentcollectionat the
studio. The new collection—online
now on MatchesFashion—comprises
simple straight dresses paired with
patterns. So, on a
green and white silk
dress, for example,
there’sleaves on the
front, bordered by
dots, a smallerfloral
pattern on the
sleevesand the skirt,
and a floral and dotted sash. It sounds
crazy, but it works. “It’s a maximalist
moment in fashion. All the major
brands, even Prada, and famously
minimalbrands are doing prints. It’s a
print market,”says Peter.The conversationaroundmaximalism
leads us naturally to sustainability,
somethingboth D’Ascolisare passion-
ate about. I’m wonderinghow a “more
ismore”approachisgoingdowninthe
“less is more” zero-waste,sustainable-
friendlyworld.ButPetersoonputsme
straight. “Maximalism is colour, pat-
tern, layering.It’s not linked with sus-
tainability.You can have a dress that
takes four metres of fabric. And be-cause it’s differentprints, that’s maxi-
mum. Or it could be solid grey—that’s
minimal.”SodoittheD’Ascoliwayfor
a more sustainable maximalism—cut
back, buy less, but celebrate with a
print parade.n“THEAPPEALISTHESENSETHAT
OURSISAHOMETIEDTOSTORIES
ABOUTWHOWEAREASAFAMILY”
—PETERD’ASCOLIPRINTANDPROPER
Fromfarleft:Peterina D’Ascoli
kurta,customfabricsfromhis
branddrapedonthesofa
andbanquette;Cecilewearinga
D’Ascoli‘Kimono’dress;thecouple
withtheirdaughterFloraanddogs
HaruandBagatelle;a ‘Macau’
printlinenwallhanginginspired
byantiqueParsiembroideryfrom
D’Ascolifabrics,witha marble
headofAlexandertheGreat
pickedupinIstanbul