Sometimes the past knocks on the door, all at once. This autumn, Milan paid homage to the legends of yesterday. My journey down memory lane began with the exhibition dedicated to Aldo Fallai at Armani/Silos, followed by the Ballo&Ballo show at Castello Sforzesco, the photography exhibition of Ugo Mulas at Palazzo Reale, and Elio Fiorucci at Triennale, culminating in the Franco Moschino exhibition marking 30 years since his passing, held at our MyOwnGallery.
Next year will mark 25 years of Superstudio Più in Via Tortona—a visionary initiative that played a role in reshaping the city through creativity. It has been a journey through fashion, art, and photography, one I was fortunate to partake in, and whose milestones I am pleased to reflect on here.

My life path leading to the foundation of Superstudio with my husband Flavio Lucchini in 1983—an image hub for fashion—and later Superstudio Più in 2000, a creative and innovation-dedicated complex, has its roots in the distant past. It began when, as a young woman, I joined the editorial staff of a new design magazine, Ottagono. Ambitious and innovative, as I recount in my newly published autobiography, "Gisella. I Wanted to Live Happy” (published by Superstudio Group, available on Amazon).
Directed by architects Giuliana Gramigna and Sergio Mazza, Ottagono had outstanding collaborators such as Bob Noorda for graphic design and Aldo Ballo and his wife Marirosa for photography. As an all-around editor, I even became an occasional model when props like a chair or a lampshade needed a human touch. Those experiences taught me how much effort goes into creating minimalistic images of absolute perfection—a lesson revisited in Ballo’s exhibition at Castello Sforzesco this past November.
The second exhibition that took me back in time was the one dedicated to the renowned Sardinian photographer Ugo Mulas, running from October to February. Famous for his portraits of American musicians and pop art icons, his evocative work also included a shoot for L’Uomo Vogue featuring young artists from the Roman School, where I, a young fashion editor, played a role. One memorable photo captures me adjusting painter Tano Festa's trousers—an essential step for the perfect shot.
The Triennale recently inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to Elio Fiorucci, running until March, celebrating the legendary revolutionary of style who, as early as 1967, was setting the rules for unconventional, hybrid, sexy, and intergenerational fashion from his shop in Galleria Passarella, Milan. I met Elio as a teenager before he became the icon he was, at a slipper shop in Via Torino, where I purchased a dazzling pair of boots.
The elegant images of Aldo Fallai at Armani/Silos brought back memories of meeting the young Giorgio Armani and his photographer friend, whom he met in Florence and who became his preferred collaborator. I was once again the editor for some of Giorgio’s earliest men’s fashion shoots, featuring himself as the model, on the Navigli or at Bar Taveggia. Who could forget the iconic military fashion shoot for L’Uomo Vogue?
Lastly, commemorating 30 years since Franco Moschino’s passing, the exhibition at our MyOwnGallery, organized by Art Directors Club Italia, refreshed my memories of his extraordinary shows. A nonconventional exhibition, fitting for this iconoclast, combines Stefano Pandini's photos with films and videos from other fashion legends. The powerful limited-edition book Iconoclasta, featuring Pandini’s images and my extensive 1991 interview with Moschino, offers an intimate portrait of his genius. His words feel as fresh as if spoken yesterday, highlighting a world that, sadly, remains unchanged.