There are two pairs of red shoes worn by Law, who plays the first Italian-American pope, Pius XIII, in the HBO series that debuted this weekend. The first pair appears when the pope gives a speech in the Sistine Chapel. Costume designer Carlo Poggioli said that he drew inspiration from papal shoes on display in the Vatican Museums to come up with his own design, keeping in mind that they would become the subject of detailed shots.
\u201cThe fabric used is red Venetian velvet, then hand-embroidered in our costumes workshop in Cinecitt\u00e0 by the same people who embroidered the Pope\u2019s capes and miters, Patrizia Barbera and Saskia Irrgang,\u201d Poggioli said. \u201cThe finished fabric was then given to the Pompei company in Rome, the world\u2019s biggest shoe design house exclusively for cinema, theater and television, who manufactured the shoes with soles and leather heels.\u201d The shoes, which took three weeks to make, are embroidered with gold thread and silver. They also feature Swarovski stones, as Swarovski was a sponsor of many of the jewels and stone detailing in the series.
The second pair of red shoes were created by Christian Louboutin . \u201cThey\u2019re in select red leather, extremely soft and their peculiarity is that the sole is in bright red leather too, like all the wonderful shoes with the Louboutin label,\u201d Poggioli said. He explained that the red shoes symbolize the blood of Christ.
\u201cRumor had it that Pope Ratzinger wore red shoes manufactured by Prada , but this wasn\u2019t true,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were made by Adriano Stefanelli\u2019s papal shoemakers in Novara.\u201d
Poggioli made up his own nickname for the Louboutin-designed shoes. \u201cWhen in the morning before shooting we would decide with Paolo Sorrentino and Jude Law to use these red shoes for particular scenes, I\u2019d say to my assistants, \u2018We\u2019re making Jude wear the Ferraris today,’\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, these shoes are equivalent, both for their color and for their elegant shape, to those wonderful bright red Ferrari cars.\u201d
As for the Giorgio Armani credit, Poggioli revealed that Armani is both a fan and a friend of \u201cYoung Pope\u201d director Paolo Sorrentino. The designer created a range of nonclerical clothes and accessories for the series, including the sunglasses worn by Law\u2019s character.
\u201cWe needed to dress with sober elegance the civilians present in the Vatican who rotate around our Lenny, like the Vatican\u2019s marketing manager, magnificently portrayed by Cecile de France,\u201d Poggioli said. \u201cAs always, Armani was extremely kind and made available to her and to the other actors, Stefano Accorsi, etc., his wonderful outfits, which perfectly suited the film\u2019s characteristics.\u201d
\u201cThe Young Pope\u201d is out now via HBO.
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Waldo Yan’s parents worked at a Chinese restaurant for years so that he could have a better life, toiling nights, weekends and holidays at a tiny restaurant in the food court of a Rosemead grocery store.
Before his mother died two years ago, she begged him from a hospital bed „not to do this work. “ But about a year ago, after graduating from UCLA with honors, Yan took over the family restaurant and began to pursue a career as a chef.
He makes the food his mother used to make for him, to honor her memory and to prove that he’s made something of himself.
Waldo Yan’s parents worked at a Chinese restaurant for years so that he could have a better life, toiling nights, weekends and holidays at a tiny restaurant in the food court of a Rosemead grocery store.
Before his mother died two years ago, she begged him from a hospital bed „not to do this work. “ But about a year ago, after graduating from UCLA with honors, Yan took over the family restaurant and began to pursue a career as a chef.
He makes the food his mother used to make for him, to honor her memory and to prove that he’s made something of himself.<\/p>\n