Sultana Collection

Capital of four empires – Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman -, the meeting point of Europe and Asia, Constantinople has always been divided between its Eastern roots and the desire for the West, Orthodox faith and Islam brought by the Turks. This dichotomy made it the home of one of the most interesting cultures in the world, which reached its apogee in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In front of her was the figure of the Sultan, who ruled the Ottoman Empire with the iron hand of the Topkaki palace surrounded by his wives and concubines in a harem that had once housed a thousand women at the same time.

This is the universe that inspires the Sultana collection of Atelier Sandro Barros, that walks among the different cultures subjugated to the Empire. “Sultana is a tribute to Roxelana, a Ukrainian slave who came to the harem in the lowest position and, through a network of intrigues and a charismatic charisma, became the sole official wife – made unprecedented until then – of Sultan Suleyman , the Magnificent, influencing his politics, naming and firing ministers, “says designer Sandro Barros.

The pieces bring the color of the ikats, the flowers of the Iznik ceramics and the mosaics of the Topkaki Palace. The rich embroidery, often colored, refers to the fabulous collection of jewels studded with precious gems of the palace. Embroidery in line honors the work of the craftsmen and weavers of the territories of the maximum border of the empire, in Smaller Asia. “It is an amalgam of the cultural richness of the entire Ottoman Empire that we still find in the Grand Bazzar stores of Istanbul,” says Sandro. The dresses still earn precious Crystal applications that allude to the Bohemian chandeliers and the Baccarat crystal staircase of the Dolmabaçe Palace, the last residence of the Sultans until the fall of the Empire in 1922.

The silhouette of the long dresses is drier, without large volumes, while the short dresses appear mostly with skirts evasês or godês. The strong colors, usually absent in Sandro’s collections, stand out, mainly mixed: green fluorine with black, dragé rose with red, Klein blue with white, besides the traditional colors like black, white, cherry, silver, beige, nude, pink and jade. Highlight for tapestry, animal prints and ikats.

The campaign and the look book were photographed by Pedro Campos, with beauty signed by Junior Mendes and scenery created by Esther Giobbi with old pieces of his collection and Celina Dias wallpapers, as well as objects by Raul Yetman and Alberto Moraes Antiques, Juliana Benfatti and L’oeil. The floor of the scene was made with gold murano tablets developed by 100% Events. The turbans are from Atelier Sabrina and Isa. The jewels are Izabel Esteves, Silvia Furmanovich, Amsterdam Sauer and Cartier.