“It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that Mykonos began to forge a new identity as a cosmopolitan tourist destination. in 1954 Queen Frederica and King Pavlos of Greece organised a Greek islands cruise on the Agamennon sea cruiser for the crème de la crème of European royalty, who fell in love with Mykonos and Delos. The purpose of the cruise was to promote Greek tourism.

 

This was the time of the legendary Maroulina, the artistic alias of Sophia Thanopoulou. A descendant of Mando Mavrogenous, Maroulina was a true original, one of the first female Greek jewellers. In 1954 she opened Maroulina’s Little Shop in the centre of Hora. She fashioned dresses from traditional scarves and made bags, belts, sandals, and gloves that combined humble and precious materials in striking combinations: shells, beads, glass, sponges, coral, wood, fossils, and old coins. Later she added gemstones, gold, and diamonds, but never compromised her inimitable, ground-breaking style. Inspired by her surroundings, her creations were like an extension of the island’s landscape. Her little shop attracted a parade of famous clients, such as Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, Jeanne Moreau, Emilio Pucci, Hélène Rochas, Pierre Cardin, Olivia de Havilland, and Maria Callas, who signed their names on the whitewashed walls.

 

Christian Dior spent his summer holiday on Mykonos in 1953. At the Hotel Leto, where he was staying, Dior was so impressed by the elegant trousers worn by some of the female guests that he summoned the local tailor Joseph Salachas for a fitting. Salachas initially told Dior that he was too busy for any more commissions. Luckily he changed his mind. Nicknamed “Le Roi du Pantalon” by Dior, Salachas went on to produce a couture line for Givenchy. Everyone from Jean Seberg to Melina Mercouri left Mykonos with a pair of his impeccably tailored trousers.

 

The island’s traditional textiles – imprinted with the seal of quality “Mykonian Hand-Woven” – also travelled to the Paris Catwalks, thanks to the local designer, Yannis Galatis. As he says himself: ” That was just one chapter in the long story of Mykonos”. Self-taught, Galatis studied “tailoring” by watching his mother and four sisters, who all made their own clothes. At the time, weaving had nothing to do with fashion. Galatis inspired the whole Greek souvenir industry with his handwoven textiles and distinctive Aegean aesthetic. He collected the wool and dyed it himself, then dipped it in the sea so the colour wouldn’t run, He took the colourful wool to local weavers, who copied his designs to produce exquisite clothes on their looms. All the well-known personalities who visited Mykonos, from royalty to Hollywood stars, were Galati’s customers and later became his friends.

 

These are just some of the pages of the rich history of Mykonos, pages that have faded under the dazzling flash of paparazzi, but will never disappear. These memories and myths are present in every corner of the island, like ghosts of the past – heroic, human, and certainly different impressions to those who do not look beyond the famous profile of Mykonos.”

 

 

From MYKONOS MUSE by Lizy Manola

Have a look at her website here

 

Place 1

Read More