Born and raised in Palermo, a Sicilian city noted for its history, culture and architecture, Tiziana’s family is known as one of the city's most historical families. Her mother, a woman described by Tiziana herself as a free spirit and an intellectual who only speaks Greek and Latin proved to be an influence, one which urged her to always pursue her passions. Also acquainted with Duke Fulco di Verdura, a fascinating jewellery designer and friend of Coco Chanel, this acquaintance would lead Tiziana to acquire a revolutionary perspective for jewellery and a holistic perception of aesthetics from a young age. 

From Academic Professor to Globetrotting Aesthete

Over the years, Tiziana has developed an infallible eye for great taste and beauty reflecting her worldly demeanour and vast knowledge on art and culture. More than just an art enthusiast, she originally taught law for eight years at the University of Palermo, after which she decided to change course and follow her passion for vintage collectibles. Although leaving the world of academia was a difficult choice, the risk has since proved to have been worthwhile: since then, Tiziana has travelled extensively to Asia, with lengthy spells spent in Kenya - as well as founding her first gallery in her hometown of Palermo and collaborating, as a consultant, for many fashion oriented and art media projects in Italy for years.  

Yet despite all the changes in her life, there is one thing she has been dedicated to single-mindedly since the 1980s: “Collecting is like a fever. I collect many things: jewellery, objects, furniture,” she says. She has patiently built an impressive collection of “unique pieces with a modern, timeless spirit” where “nothing is repeated.” Her collection includes fine art jewellery from the ‘60s and the ‘70s, created by eminent artists such as Saverio Cavalli and Salvatore Fiume; vintage and designer dresses created between the ‘60s and ‘80s, rare handbags, accessories and handcrafted artefacts (even the aforementioned futuristic monoliths) are also part of her collection. Apart from Cavalli and Fiume, her collection proudly showcases pieces by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Armando Tanzini and Paolo Spalla among others, some created especially for her. Tiziana sees jewellery as a form of art and believes that a jewel is a product of beauty and harmony, mirroring a wider scheme of things where the whole world is a sum of jewels, elements and spiritual energy.  

Her passion for jewellery sparked another passion for vintage fashion, which led to her becoming a dedicated vintage fashion collector in the mid-‘80s, as she felt that the commercial fashion of the time had become boring and predictable. After all, what would a beautiful jewel be without a spectacular garment? Tiziana turned to older collections by Vionnet, Yves Saint Laurent, Courrèges, Balenciaga, Christian Dior and Madame Grès, to name just a few, and soon enough, a casual habit grew into a very serious engagement that involved meticulous research, which turned her into a true vintage connoisseur. For Tiziana, the worlds of fine art and fashion are not at all separated as some present-day critics and collectors like to believe: “Art and fashion are a way of life. They are an integral part of everyday life, and certainly not detached from us,” says Tiziana, thus underlining how jewellery and fashion items can be seen as works of art in their own right.

A Platform for Creativity and Discovery 

To kick-start the TS World and its series of collaborations, Tiziana invited three artists to create unique artworks inspired by her art and fashion collection, her own artistic vision and the local Panama culture;  the resulting works were developed in close collaboration between the artists and Tiziana herself. To begin with, Mexican painter and illustrator Gildo Medina co-created an elaborate sculptural installation titled The Tree OF Desire, where the branches of a tree were painted, by the artist, with images and patterns that refer to quintessential human desires and passions. Medina also customised a collectible crocodile leather Salvatore Ferragamo bag (2009), by painting directly on the leather, thus permanently transforming the bag into a unique work of art. Meanwhile, Panamanian Kuna painter Oswaldo Kantule painted some of his signature colourful figures and traditional Kuna patterns on several dresses from Tiziana’s collection; he also painted one of Tiziana’s monoliths with images inspired by the local rainforest and the harmful impact of man on nature. The idea for this ‘rainforest monolith’ was born during a visit at the Açaí rainforest in Panama: Tiziana was so captivated by the forest’s untainted beauty that she decided to commission a work that somehow passed the message that “without the forests, we can’t live.” Last but not least, a custom-designed black dress was created for Tiziana by French fashion designer Patrick Stephan that is now part of the TS World collection.

A young universe in motion, ready to burst with ideas and inspiration, the TS World brand was officially unveiled to collectors and members of the press during an exclusive event in early September 2015 at the Waldorf Towers in New York City. Conceived as the first of a series of pop-up gallery spaces that will appear around the world in the coming months, the event featured all the newly created TS artworks and customised items, together with a selection of fine art jewellery and 14 limited edition handbags from Tiziana’s private collection. The event was organised in collaboration with Heritage Auctions, the world’s third biggest auction house that is also famous for its expertise in collectible luxury fashion accessories. As the event’s centrepiece, the Tree Desire installation set the tone and theme for the exhibition, surrounded by artefacts from different time periods that were displayed together for the first time.

{YatzerTip}  The entire collection from the TS pop-up event is currently on display at Heritage Auction’s Park Avenue store, where it will remain until September 27th, 2015. There, Tiziana is showcasing more items from her collection and the TS World brand, while Heritage Auctions will sell her 14 limited edition handbags on September 29th in Beverly Hills.  

2015 September 29 Autumn Luxury Accessories Signature Auction - Beverly Hills #5233