SHAPING
IDENTITY.
Rita Melssen is an Egyptian-American fashion stylist, costume designer, and creative consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. She is most widely recognized for her extensive work as the personal stylist and visual director for global pop icon Madonna as well as her outstanding work for Studio of Art Archive and Design (SAAD), an entity that bridges historical garment research with contemporary high fashion. Antonioli hosted SAAD in our VIC room in our boutique in Milan.
We met Rita in Milan at our studio where she was photographed by Kristijan Vojinovic, Antonioli’s creative director.
The Styling Project was Kristijan’s idea to gather stylists who share Antonioli’s aesthetic and let them style themselves instead of styling others, putting them in the spotlight, chatting about fashion and not only.
A: What are your references when you are dressing up?
R.M: Reference when dressing myself is quite specific. It's always based in shape, so I'm always looking at the shapes and proportions of what I'm wearing. I really take a lot of my heritage being Egyptian and all of the wrapping and the head coverings, and I incorporate that into also being a New Yorker. So I probably have some boots on and some jeans layered with something silk on top. So it's kind of a blending of. Of many worlds, I would say. Their history. When I'm working with artists, I always think about where they came from and what they're known for and what they're trying to work towards. And I always like to push people to do something that maybe feels a little bit different to them, always incorporating elements of their style.
A: What is your favourite part of working with Madonna?
R.M: My favorite part about working with Madonna is her intelligence and her willingness to evolve and constantly challenge herself and do something different. She's never stuck in one place. She's always looking for something new, something new to take on, to learn, to teach. She's my biggest teacher. That's my favorite part.
A: How has your relationship with Madonna evolved?
R.M: Our relationship and our friendship evolved very naturally. I had been working with her for a while, and one day she just looked at me and she said, you're my stylist now. And that was it. And we spent so much time together. And really, I think understanding someone creatively is just a form of intimacy.
And when you spend enough time with someone and you learn them and they learn you, it's like a. There's nothing better than that. Creatively is to have that symbiotic energy between two people who really understand each other. And I've just been so lucky to spend that time with her and learn from her. And she's learned from me.
A: What are your styling tips for this season?
R.M: My styling tips for spring, summer, and for always is just to be fearless and just explore and be open. And don't think there's anything that you can't do until you figure out if you can do it or not.
A: And which are the brands to keep and eye on?
R.M: Designers for spring / summer… Alain Paul and Ann Demeulemeester
