English Version | Oh La La, capisce?

When La Dolce Vita meets the belle du jour, that's Laettia Casta for Calzedonia Swimwear.

The journey is short, but a journey nonetheless: on a direct flight, with no need for a stopover, the Italian brand travels to the neighboring country to place the French actress and model as the face of its beach line. Any cultural disruption is nonexistent, if only because both names share the Mediterranean as their backyard. Laetitia, born in Normandy, North of France, but with Italian ancestry on the part of her maternal roots and connections to Corsica (her father is from this Mediterranean island and it was there that, on a family holiday, she was discovered by a scout - she was only 15 years old), is an unavoidable element of the Fashion industry that, in the 90s, rose to stardom and today, at 45 years old, even for younger generations, maintains her recognizable name - either by the CV that accumulates covers of revered magazines in the area, such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, or for her selected appearances in Cinema, which include, between shorts and features, as well as voiceovers, Asterix et Obelix contre Cesar (1999) and Gainsbourg: Vie heroique (2010), for which she received a nomination for the César Award. But the affinity goes far beyond geographic location: with her Côte d'Azur air that does not mask the feminine strength that is Laetitia Casta, and the fact that she also uses her voice for activism (between marches and protests, she is also an Ambassador of Good Will for Unicef, since 2016), it's not surprising that Calzedonia - also a bastion of innovation, putting diversity and female inclusion at the forefront, namely in its campaigns - chose her as the star of the campaign for this summer. A mother of four and a star who isn't always in the spotlight but is undoubtedly well established in the industry, Casta breaks swimwear ad stereotypes to show that there are no clichés about summer bodies - they're everyone's, ours, anyone's whatever their silhouette, context and age.

“I really like the positioning of the brand”, sgares the Frenchwoman. “I like the idea of making fashion accessible. When I was younger, having access to these kinds of brands was very important to me. Today, I like to move between luxury and more affordable brands. That's how I'm building my career, I don't have any barriers, I don't have prejudices about things. I respond to brands and projects that interest me. With Calzedonia, we wanted to build a beautiful image together, based on artistic foundations that make you dream. I think that today it is essential to make people dream. It's important for me to have an artistic engagement with the brand I'm working with, that isn't a battle for power, rather we can build a story”. And the story will surely be one that travels along an itinerary by the sea (or by the pool), with pieces that just need to come out of the wardrobe and little else to make the nomadic philosophy stand out: swimsuits from timeless to exotic bikinis, there's a little bit of the world in each topstitch, namely from the Riviére to the Amalfi Coast. There are exclusive pieces, such as the Limited Edition Collection, in which the bikinis are complemented with gold chains and rhinestones and the swimsuits are frilled and cascaded in black amber; there are free spirit vibes, in tie-dye options from the Formentera series, animal print in the Nairobi line, and there are retro touches in the white swimsuit, with a deep V-neck. There are lines that, just by name, make us travel - Coastal Chic (with embroidery, transparencies and reliefs), Summer Festival (think denim and crochet effect, perfect silhouettes for the festival), Wild Nature (a tribute to the fauna and flora for wandering imaginaries attuned to trips more in the Into the Wild genre) - and there are also the star's favorites: “The black Dallas swimsuit, which is perfect with great support in the chest. I also really like the bikini with the tye-die print for the modern look”, reveals Laetitia, who will surely coordinate them with a scarf, in the hot season. “I love scarves. Worn as a belt, with a knot at the waist, tying the hair…” In fact, the ideal look for a perfect holiday day, without surprises, would be “a bikini, a scarf around the waist and oil in your hand”. She is a specialist in oils, she stresses, loves them, and does not hesitate to include them in her tips for a summer getaway: “Always have oil with you, I specialize in oils, for hair, for skin, it is really my essential, I am very attached to smells. I know them all! Sunglasses too, of course, a moisturizer for the plane, a mask. And I always carry a candle too! I love recreating environments.” She is, clearly, a connaisseuse of the art of travelling, literally and metaphorically (after all, aromas also make us travel without leaving one place), but also of the richness of mind that derives from it – both literal and metaphorical travel. When the question “what should a woman do at least once in her life?” is placed on the table, she is sure on her answer: in addition to underlining that all women should cut their hair short at least once, it also adds that one should write down “childhood dreams and remember them, try to fulfill at least one. Getting your driving license, of course, is synonymous with freedom. Above all, follow your deepest desires,” she advises. Or rather, she shares. She is not one to give or take advice: “I don't believe in advice. I am currently rehearsing a play in which a student asks his teacher if he can give him advice, and I love the answer: 'I have advice, never listen to any advice'. I find this formula perfect. When you talk to others, you are always talking about yourself.”

Wise words that are greater than any language barrier. In this Mediterranean connection between buongiorno and bonjour, nothing is lost in translation because both parts speak the same language in what concerns summer, style, the beach and the female figure: the advocacy of women and their empowerment through pieces that boost one's self-confidence. One that must be based on the values of self-esteem and not on external references. In the idea of a silhouette that we love, whatever the size, age or context in which we conquered it, a reflection that seems to be linear in Calzedonia's product creation process, as this versatile collection is an example of. To everything else that undermines self-esteem, it's arrivederci, or adieu. Or, in plain Portuguese, the simple and short “adeus”.

Translated from the original on our The Voyage Issue, from June 2023.Full credits and stories on the print version.