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THIS MONTH:
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Hollywood A List Parties
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By Christine Suppes
Daniel Storto comes from a line of artisans. His grandfather was a shoemaker in Italy, but Daniel's parents had hoped he might become "a doctor or a lawyer." Says Daniel, "My career was more about what my grandparents wanted than what my parents wanted." Daniel, called "Glove Maker to the Stars", insists he is an artisan. Daniel worked at the fine old California swim suit companies of Jantzen and Cole. He worked with Bob Mackie, the designer who dressed many celebrities including Cher, for ten or twelve years. Daniel had the pleasure of designing and making a pair of gloves that accompanied Cher's Academy Award ensemble the year she won for "Moonstruck". But Daniel remembers less fondly the lack of respect Hollywood paid to the historical importance of gloves. "The whole mindset regarding the historical background of gloves is disappearing in Los Angeles", says Daniel.
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Bob Mackie encouraged him to continue making gloves, and Daniel left Hollywood for the fashion world. He worked for among others, Alexander McQueen and Dries van Noten. His partner,Samantha Nguyen gave birth to their son in Belgium while he collaborated with van Noten, and Daniel says the Belgian language is so convoluted; they decided their son would be better off learning English. So they returned to the States, and embraced the artisan life completely two years ago when they moved to the historical upstate New York town of Gloversville. Gloversville was the onetime capital of glove making in the United States, with fifty working factories whose buildings still stand. Daniel opened a store on Main Street in Gloversville, where he hand stitches each pair of gloves he sells.
"Mine is more about the visual approach, and gloves are my canvas," says Daniel. "You can pick something other than a canvas for your art. I worry, 'have I gotten it right? This is a tough profession. It's technical, and you do want the gloves to be wearable.'"
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Daniel collaborates with Ralph Rucci on Mr. Rucci's Paris couture collections as well as his New York ready to wear collections. "It's a lot of work. I like his approach to design," he says of Rucci. "Our tasks are very similar. Every piece must fit like a puzzle. It's a challenge."
For his exclusive work, Daniel creates series, not collections. His breathtaking Alphabet G.L.O.V.E.S. series can be currently seen at Julie Artisans' Gallery in Manhattan. Daniel designed for this series a black box like the "glove box" so many women once had. Daniel also recreated all the gloves in the recent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Daniel, who will be speaking December 6th at New York University with other well known designers, is passionate about artisans in America. He knows and networks with a group of artisans and designers he considers the best in the world. He also strongly recommends fashion lovers to visit Gloversville. It is a 45 minute drive from Albany, the state capital of New York, and a 30 minute drive from Saratoga Springs.
Daniel Storto gloves are among the most treasured modern couture accessories today.
Daniel Storto
Gloversville, New York
518 725 4803
Julie Dale
Julie Artisans' Gallery, New York City
212 7175959
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