Claudia Cardinale on Dancing With Alain Delon, Meeting the Pope and Being Courted by Steve McQueen

PARIS — The day hadn’t started very well: Someone had tweeted that legendary Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, known for her roles in Luchino Visconti’s “The Leopard” and Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West,” had died. “But I’m very much alive!” said Cardinale, roaring with laughter. The anecdote didn’t put a damper on her jovial mood. The 81-year-old actress was in Paris to prepare for the auction of over 130 couture and ready-to-wear dresses from her personal wardrobe, which are to be exhibited at Sotheby’s Paris from July 2 to 4 and will be for sale until July 9. “It’s very moving to see them here all together,” said Cardinale. “They had been stuck in storage in my parents’ home in Rome for years and years. I didn’t remember them being so beautiful.” The collection spans the first 20 years of the actress’ career, starting with demure, light-colored dresses from the end of the Fifties to more flamboyant garments as she hit stardom in the Seventies, after appearing in Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2” and starring opposite David Niven in “The Pink Panther.” “It represents a form of emancipation, both on a personal level and a more global scale” said Cardinale’s daughter Claudia Squitieri,

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...

from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/2NnRNrh