This month I’m enchanted with Napoleon’s Divine Marchesa collection, inspired by The Marchesa Luisa Casati. The packaging is to die for and the products are gorgeous – I’m particularly in love with the Dramatic Eye Shadow Quad which is packaged in the most fabulous vintage compact and contains all the colours you need for the perfect smouldering smokey eye (silvery white, deep purple, midnight blue and rich onyx). Also in the collection are Boudoir Mist Spray Foundation and a matte black nail colour. Now to the woman behind it all – are you as intrigued as I am?

If you thought Florence Broadhurst was a flamboyant, wild and outrageous woman, then you’re going to be absolutely fascinated by The Marchesa Luisa Casati. Casati (1881 – 1957) was an extravagant, eccentric and enigmatic socialite, who was a muse and constant source of inspiration for the great artists, playwrights, film makers, photographers and fashion designers of her time. Her dramatic appearance and free spirited, non conformist lifestyle made her the most scandalous woman of her day and she often appeared in European gossip columns.

As a young child, Luisa was fascinated by the visual arts and the extravagant lifestyles of people in history. In 1900 she married a Milanese nobleman, Marchese Camillo Casati, but it was her much publicised open affair with notorious Italian writer Gabrielle D’Annunnzioa which elicited her transformation. Free from inhibitions, she metamorphosed her appearance into a transfixing living work of art that completely captivated people everywhere she went. Her tall thin frame was crowned with flaming red hair, her pale white face emblazoned with striking red lips, her large enchanting emerald green eyes adorned with false eye lashes and black eyeliner, and she often wore live snakes as jewellery.

What else makes this woman so utterly compelling?
She was obsessed with the concept of immortality and as such, is potentially the most artistically represented woman in history after the Virgin Mary and Cleopatra.
She kept cheetahs, snakes and monkeys as pets; and her male servants encrusted in gold leaf.
She was infamous for wearing nothing under her furs whilst walking her cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes in the evening – not surprisingly she inspired the famed ‘Panther’ design for Cartier.
A free spirit, she travelled to Venice, Rome, Paris & Capri, acquiring mansions and hosting flamboyant masquerade balls.
She whirled through Parisian nightlife, making an unforgettable impression on many including Coco Chanel.
Picasso attended one of her legendary soirees at her Roman villa; while she costumed herself as a living artwork inspired by Dali for another. Bizarre wax mannequins sat as guests at her dining table.
One of her homes the Palazzo dei Leoni on the Grand Canal, had gardens lit with huge Chinese lanterns and cheetahs prowling along winding pathways. The building was later purchased by Peggy Guggenheim to become The Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Another of her mansions the Palais Rose, located just outside Paris and built of red marble, contained a private art gallery with over 130 paintings of herself.
Her extravagant lifestyle eventually caught up with her and by 1930, she had amassed a debt of over 20 million U.S. dollars. Her possessions were auctioned off at the Palais Rose in 1932, and among the bidders was Coco Chanel. She made a quick escape to London, but quickly amassed a new set of artistic admirers. Whilst she wasn’t able to enjoy the grandeur of her former life, she was financially supported by her family and friends, and her spirit remained unstoppable.
Her gravestone is inscribed with Shakespeare, “‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”.
She continues to live on as a muse, inspiring many great designers including Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Lagerfeld and Gucci. Galliano’s Number 1 perfume pays homage to her and Dita Von Teese credits her as a source of great inspiration, “80 years ago, this woman was more shocking than anyone has been since. She was utterly captivating”.
If you’re as taken by the Marchesa Luisa Casati as Dita and myself, and want to embody her drama in your everyday, visit www.naopleonperdis.com to purchase the Divine Marchesa collection. When you order the Boudoir Mist Spray Foundation, you receive a limited edition Ravishing Rose Lip Shine for free – oh how we do love a GWP!

The Marchesa Luisa Casata would certainly love all this attention being lavished on her so long after her death. Her flamboyant nature and decadent lifestyle not only continues to inspire artists, but her unstoppable free spirit can inspire us all to connect with our real selves and live a passionate and heartfelt life – perhaps she really can live forever.