Behind the mask
Inside the atelier of Stefano Nicolao, one of Venice’s top Carnival costumiers, plus all you need to know to join in the fun
Words: Adrian Mourby
Stefano Nicolao has been kitting out Carnival-goers and film stars for 25 years. We visited his atelier in Venice to find out why the costumier’s life feels like one long party
HE’S A FRIEND of Madonna. He’s dressed Cate Blanchett, Al Pacino, Helena Bonham Carter and Heath Ledger. And yet outside his native Italy, very few people have heard of Stefano Nicolao.
When I visited his studio, Atelier Nicolao, in Venice’s Canareggio district, I found a welcoming, red-haired Venetian with no pretensions – surprising given that Nicolao is the Venetian costumier par excellence. Row upon row of costumes stretch out in the studio, a riot of lace and braid, gilt and brocade. Nicolao is the man who production designers seek out when they want to get their hands on the best period dress that money can buy. But he has not only contributed to films such as The Merchant of Venice, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Wings of the Dove, Elizabeth and Casanova. He also helped create and define the look of the world-famous Venetian carnival [originally a medieval feast] when it was revived in the 1980s. Yet, perversely, although Nicolao is now the first choice of the stars and filmmakers alike, the Venetian-born craftsman never set out to be a designer.
“I was born an actor,” he says. “After art school I attended theatre school for several years. But what I felt I was missing was ‘material’.” To illustrate his point, Nicolao runs some fabric through his fingers. “So I went to work in costume and design studios to be able to touch with my own hands that which is real theatre.”
After modest success as a theatrical costumier, Nicolao received his big challenge in 1980 when, at the age of 26, he found himself halfway up a mountain in Nepal.
“Enrico Sabatini, the great costumier who had dressed films such as Jesus of Nazareth, Seven Years in Tibet and The Mission, asked me to join him as his scenery and costume assistant on a new mini-series about Marco Polo.
“THERE I WAS in the Nepali Himalayas, 4,000m above sea level, creating a whole cavalry troop with Tibetan trumpets, a rope bridge and a monastery in primitive conditions, using only local artisans and without electricity. We dyed the material with natural colours and everything was hand-sewn by candlelight. I crossed the Himalayas carrying an efficient little workshop in my arm. Artisans like me have no need for electricity and other comforts in order to create art. I found then that all I needed was a head on my shoulders and dexterous hands.”
Marco Polo featured a starry cast that included Denholm Elliott, Anne Bancroft and Sir John Gielgud, and was a big success for Nicolao.
“I think that after being praised by Sabatini and by Montaldo [the designer and director of Marco Polo] for what I had achieved under such conditions, I realised that anything was possible. So at the age of 26 I decided my ‘tale’ should begin. I was inspired to open an atelier in Venice.”
It was perfect timing. Nicolao moved back to his home city when Venice was in need of people who could create the gorgeous costumes we now associate with its annual Carnival. Today the Venetian look – fantasy costumes based on genuine 18th-century outfits worn by merchants and aristocrats in the city – is something we recognise instantly, but it took people like Nicolao to come up with that idea and explore it.
“With Carnival starting up again in the city, I quickly re-established myself,” he states. “Mine was the only professional atelier for costumes in Venice at that time.”
He used all his accumulated capital to set up the studio and acquired swathes of cloth at liquidation sales. “My parents helped me out a lot at the beginning and continue to do so.”
The business thrived. Over the last 25 years, Nicolao’s studio has not just kitted out dozens of film companies and thousands of Carnival revellers, but also private individuals who want an extraordinary outfit for a special occasion and don’t know where to start.
“I offer a landmark to clients in a difficult city like Venice,” he insists, as we begin our tour of the studio. “Here we have historic costumes, such as Emperor Napoleon, Marie Antoinette and Julius Caesar,” he says waving a hand. Put simply, this means anything not from Venice. “And here we have classic Venetian costumes [think Casanova or Don Giovanni]. And here we have fantasy.”
These are just some of the costumes that Nicolao hires out. In all, he estimates he has a stock of about 7,000. “But then I also make for film designers like Jenny Beavan, who designed Casanova, Sandy Powell, who designed The Wings of the Dove and Alexandra Byrne, who designed Elizabeth. The San Marco damask produced by Ditta Rubelli that I used for one of Cate Blanchett’s costumes cost €350 a metre,” he points out. Atelier Nicolao does not skimp.
He enjoys working with Hollywood designers. “It is a wonderful thing to be able to actualise what costumiers are asking for because it solidifies a relationship of amazing collaboration – one advises, one compares, one gets onto the same wavelength as the other. Most recently I did a good number of costumes for the film Casanova, which meant dealing with an era which is naturally familiar to me – 18th-century Venice. “I saw the costumes differently from the designer. I saw the materials, the reflexes of colour, much more than the frills and decoration, and I made sure everything was calibrated and contained so as to extol the light and the landscape of this marvellous city.”
Despite having notched up a quarter a century in the costume business, Nicolao likes to keep close to his roots as a costume-maker, which means being very hands-on with every design. “When I started there was nothing like the internet or the virtual marketplace – everything was truly artisanal. Professional training goes far beyond technology; a costume isn’t made on the computer.”
Again he picks up a swatch of cloth. “A costume is made from woven material, from fine embroidery, and most of all from the knowledge and emotion needed to create it. This is one craft that truly comes ‘from the heart’.”
It’s clear that Nicolao relishes his job. He enjoys meeting customers and helping fulfil their sartorial fantasies. Although he numbers aristocrats and movie stars among his clientele, he is a true Venetian democrat. If you book a fitting when he is in the studio, he will greet you as warmly as an old friend.
“This job gives me so much satisfaction… from seeing one of my dresses on stage, to sitting with a cinematographer and viewing a reel of film featuring my costumes, to earning the respect of customers who often become friends. One needs only make an appointment, come in for a fitting and voilà!”
NOW A VERY youthful 52, how does he keep the energy flowing?
“I think in life it’s essential to have courage.”
And is he happy? “Oh yes. The beautiful thing in life is waking up in the morning and having one surprise after another. Of course, not all the surprises are going to be good ones! But two things I wish I had known when I was younger. Even if you have the answer or solution close at hand, always take time with what has been asked of you. Don’t take short cuts. And always let go of what one has already written, by which I mean never ever repeat yourself.”
This year the Carnival takes place from 9-20 February. Many of the balls are private parties. However, every year, on the last Sunday of Carnival, the Masheranda is held at the Pisani Moretta Palace, and is open to everyone. Tickets cost €460 per person, which includes dinner (www.tragicomica.it).
YOUR GUIDE TO CARNIVAL
WHERE TO BUY A MASK, HIRE A COSTUME AND CATCH UP ON YOUR BEAUTY SLEEP
WHERE DO I BUY A MASK?
*MONDONOVO MASCHERE Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro, Venice; +39 041 528 7344 You can actually see masks being made here as well as select one for yourself. Prices run from €25 for a Don Giovanni “bauta” to €1,550 for a gold leaf Tutankhamun mask.
*TRAGICOMICA Calle dei Nomboli 2800, San Polo, Venice; +39 041 721 102 Another workshop that sells to the public. Bautas start at €21. Tragicomica also offers workshops for those who would like to learn how to make a Venetian mask, from €120 + VAT per group (maximum of 25 people).
WHERE DO I HIRE A COSTUME?
*ATELIER NICOLAO Cannaregio 2590, Venice; +39 041 520 7051 ; atelier@nicolao.com The A-list costumier. Outfits from €120-€250 per day.
*ATELIER DI TRAGICOMICA Calle del Traghetto Vecchio 2874, San Tomà, Venice; +39 041 713 003 ; www.tragicomica.it Book in advance. Average price €195 for one day (€95 per subsequent day).
*ATELIER TIEPOLO Palazzo Zen ai-Frari, San Polo, Venice; +39 041 524 2668 A wide choice of costumes, wigs and accessories from the 16th to the 20th century. Average hire price €195 for one day (€95 per subsequent day). During Carnival Atelier Tiepolo will also be located in the Danieli Hotel and in the Bauer Hotel.
WHERE DO I STAY?
*HOTEL DANIELI www.danieli.hotelinvenice.com The original hotel in Venice, built to accommodate 19th-century tourists.
Not only is the Danieli within easy walking distance of St Mark’s Square, but Atelier Tiepolo will actually equip you for carnival in your room. Rooms cost from €260 (may vary during Carnival).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Main Tourist Office, Venice Castello 4421; + 39 041 529 8711
