There are enchanting atmospheres that do not take place but rather a very distant origin, as is the case of a stylist who moves from Barcelona to the Veneto region. From a paragliding flight over the Dolomites she suddenly finds herself following her destiny that will take her to the city of Belluno, a coincidence? perhaps yes, she is in fact that she will never leave these places and she decides to turn them into an atelier and today connected to a prestigious showroom that has just been inaugurated. She is a researcher of a simple but at the same time sophisticated style in the attention to detail and of the precious fabrics that she carefully searches throughout Europe. Collections with a Parisian taste but with a Spanish soul in the background. A story that makes us remember that of Cristobal Balenciaga, Basque by origin and Parisian by adoption (Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in 1895 in a small village in Getaria, to a seamstress mother and a fisherman father). From his mother she inherits the passion for fabrics, cultivating the dream of becoming a great couturier and eleven years already working as an apprentice at a tailor in the country. At the age of twenty he opened his first shop in San Sebastián and then moved to Madrid and Barcelona. Because of the civil war he moved to Paris where he opened the doors of his atelier in 1937 in Avenue George V, on the third floor of Palazzo Borghese), and if Cristobal Balenciaga has revolutionized the history of costume by putting the conception of femininity into crisis by bringing fashion beyond its borders by creating true works of art, the same mission seems to be in the heart of Mayte.
We now ask Doña M. Teresa Mayte Sasot y Soriano, aka Mayte Sasot Soriano, to tell us a little about her story.
I lived my first years in Madrid, where I trained in a close relationship with the discipline, with ethics and values in the arts, beauty, the search for beautiful things and with the full awareness of being the last member descendant of the old house of the linaje of the Baluerga house of Sasot. Ancient reign of Fernando II the Catholic of Aragon, consort of Isabel la Catolica, Queen of CastillaI received my education with a certain ordinance and with a discipline consonant with my position in the family. I have always observed and paid more attention to attitudes, words, respect for others, the nature that surrounds us, always following the teaching of the meaning of human values. My strong and ancient roots, Catholic spirituality and the importance of a healthy and good education, are the basis of my principles: because nobility and values are not inherited. The family is our first nucleus in society. The main theme of our life remains which for me should be understood as a source of respect, reciprocity and acceptance: a family in which I can pass on to my heirs, the great, noble and strong ideals inherited from my ancestors. This ancient noble family of great Iberian-Aragonese ideals has contributed to forming strong and proud characteristics in the people in our family but who, at the same time, are also kind-hearted, decent and respectful people. Ever since, they have dedicated themselves with dignity to discovering beauty in others – marrying the ancient and the modern to create a renaissance, which will ideally evolve to unveil a brotherhood of joy.
When did you begin to understand what you wanted to do with your life?
At the age of seven I moved to Barcelona where later, around the age of thirteen, I started the sartorial modeling school and then attended painting lessons with Salvador Dali in the Figueras theater. Subsequently, a long friendship was born where I followed him up to his residence in Portlligat maintaining a long history of memories with his son Jose Van Roy Dalì. I then continued training in the tailoring school to then finish the last years of study in the high school of image and communication stylist consultant. After completing my specialization studies, I started designing collections for a large Spanish clothing company.
How is it defined?
I am very reserved, multifaceted and also eclectic which is certainly due to the rigid and disciplined education that at the time one was forced to follow in colleges for young ladies and which, however, today, I thank for the opportunity given to me to be able to follow such a rich and educational path.
What is your philosophy that always pushes you to seek that beauty of other times, because it is clear that your collections are all steeped in history, elegance that goes beyond any fashion.
I could say "It's never too late - and you're never too old to re-start a new path" but it is self-confidence that can become the greatest ally we have: a true weapon of seduction… These two sentences they come from my heart and represent a new beginning for a better life that I am living with optimism…
I know his love for art, but I know that he not only draws collections but also loves to paint…perhaps with a hint of some Spanish painter?
Yes it has been true in the past, I love art in all its forms and it is clear as a Catalan that some artistic inspiration lies in my heart. In the past I have also tried to dedicate myself to creating pictorial works and this has been useful to me in the most difficult moments of my life, now I carry everything in a briefcase that I keep with care, another treasure chest of dreams and hopes of mine.
What is the reason that binds you so much to Italy?
In my memories, fourteen years of a marriage of life lived together shine forth… memories that live inside me and continue to enlighten and guide me, after the untimely death of my beloved spouse. Then an illness made me even stronger and I understood that Italy is part of my existence but I also feel that I will travel again, it's just a matter of meetings, as Seneca himself said: “Luck doesn't exist. There is a moment when talent meets opportunity”.
What do you expect from the future?
We live in a world where the true sense of beauty has been lost, there is a lot of creativity in fashion but often a confused reading emerges, probably society has changed so much that we should rewrite everything, even beauty in its purest meaning. With my atelier I try to create that fashion inspired by the Parisian years of the first half of the 900s, I love haute couture and the accessories that complete its elegance. I look for fabrics, embroideries and laces made with artisan care, meticulous, light and with a pinch of Belle Epoque intrigue.
Dreaming of a fashion show in Paris?
It's not a dream, I think if it has to be it will come soon. I limit myself to believing it and this helps me a lot to observe what is happening around me. When I think about the 20s and 30s and how Paris had become a hotbed of famous names: from the style casual and discreet of Coco Chanel up to the fluid drapes of Madelaine Vionnet and then others like Dior, so yes I want to dream!
A preview of the next collections?
I'm very inspired, the goal is to offer contemporary femininity by combining techno fabrics with lace, felt and straw hats – which I design and have made strictly in Tuscany – jewels with that aristocratic taste by mixing fabrics with stones, cameos and velvets. And all within an aura of mystery that is enclosed in my perfume, a fragrance of white flowers that brings with it a sophistication yet to be rediscovered and which gives the woman an absolutely discreet charm.
So Maysot, I'm sure we'll see you soon in Paris in pursuing this dream of yours.
Fashion photo credits: Anna D'Agostino
