CAMPARINO: Opened in 1915 by Davide Campari which quickly became the hub of Milanese life and of the fashions sported by its patrons.

The final act of the Campari tale takes me back to Milan, foggy at touchdown and golden by the time I check in at the Rosa Grand and clock familiar faces from the Campari Collective, last together in September of last year. Rich Woods, (of Duck & Waffle/Sushi Samba bar fame) whom I’d styled a grey tartan waistcoat in the ‘London’ scene for the Campari Diaries – The Legend of Red Hand short film, beams as he tells me how much he’s looking forward to the screening.

We’re treated to a tour of a few spots around town – three to be exact – and I’m counting the hours till lunch at Bar Basso – hoping for a cheeky Negroni Sbagliato that is rumoured to be the size of an average face. Elaborate film sets that imitate the landscape of a New York bar or a London rooftop have been packed away, Milan is served neat. At Laboratorio Paravicini we learn the essence of handcraft (the very element that defines a great Campari cocktail), and Il Profumo. And for your information: Negroni Sbagliato is indeed the size (and colour, if accounting for the Asian flush) of my face.

LABORATORIO PARAVICINI: The Milanese workshop opened in the 90s to bring back to people’s homes and lives decorative items with the warmth and “Sunday slowness” that industrial porcelain could never evoke.

BAR BASSO: One of the hottest a Milanese spots for local and international adoration since the invention of Negroni Sbagliato in 1972 by Mirko Stocchetto

IL PROFUMO: Experiencing a ‘fragrance journey’ that highlights the olfactory combinations that allude to the Campari flavour.

Campari is at home in Milan, a whopping 151 years since the opening of Caffe Campari (1867) and the illustrious Camparino (1915) at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II by Davide Campari. The routine aperitif had become a legend at this very spot, decked in posters dating back to art nouveau, geometric furnishings, and red velvet seatings to top all off. Milan is a foolproof backdrop for The Legend of Red Hand, directed by Stefano Sollima, featuring Zoe Saldana (playing Mia Parc, an anagram of Campari) – scenes of which decorate my first encounter with Zoe not six months ago.

Dress – Holzweiler

With Director Stefano Sollima, Zoe Saldana and Adriano Giannini.

The launch premiere of the short film paints the town red, quite literally speaking, speckled with scarlet robes of the Campari red variety. The six Red Hand bartenders are revealed at the height of the night, followed by all talents of the ‘Legend of Red Hand’. It’s a corker of a party. Throughout the night an occasional red hand could be spotted as the star bartenders disperse for celebration into the crowd.

Enjoy Responsibly.

photography SHINI PARK bts photography FRANCESCO PIZZO in collaboration with CAMPARI

As part of our specific, designated Monday morning duties, Simon delves into debriefing past week’s clients as Zana combs down and reshuffles the samples rail back into colour order*. I hover between tasks of the deadline variety, our coffees always a degree colder than desired at the first sip. There’s noticeably a bigger Grey chunk in the rails, winter must be arriving with the DHL man anytime now.

I take a bite into the preliminary edits from the Milan: Campari Red Diaries client folder, it’s been four weeks since the Skype briefing call with Costume Designer Diamante Cavalli and three since the campaign filming in Milan. One thing’s for sure: The Italians know a thing or two about Red. Like the Alfa Romeo Spider in The Graduate (1967), or the juicy tomato that garnish my Pizza Margherita dinner on the rooftop of Galleria Vittorio. Most of it’s in their humour though, rich and sarcastic, usually followed with hearty laughs and lots of hand gestures. ‘Alora, tweed and air conditioning to 15 degrees is London, si?’ She’d asked, and all I had to say was: si, Diamante, absolutely SI.

*works better than putting DVDs into colour coordination, as admonished by my husband whose analytical brain imploded on the notion of filing Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction next to Love Actually.

With director Stefano Sollima

The Campari Red Diaries filming spans five nights around Milan, I am the visiting fashion consultant on a special scene (to be revealed). By Wednesday – day Three – Director Stefano Sollima, Zoe Saldana, and 300-strong crew & cast are on full swing. I gush about Centre Stage to Zoe during a coffee break and she opens up like a flower. 20 minutes later her management is peeling her off our rather heated conversation on ballet, Puerto Rico and digital influence, then then she is ushered back into set to shoot. Zoe is a force of nature, Neytiri, Gamora or Lieutenant Uhura have nothing on her.

RIGHT with Costume Designer Diamante Cavalli

The film follows Mia Parc (Saldana) on another Campari Red Diaries ‘Legend of Red Hand’, following Clive Owen from last year. Not to mention previous Campari Calendar protagonists include Kate Hudson, Eva Mendez, Uma Thurma. It’s been a while since my first Campari celebration with Milla Jovovich in 2010; it was a very Italian ‘red’ affair then, and given the Saldana-grade gumption and Stefano’s storytelling potency, this one – released in 2018 – is also bound to be nothing less than vehement.

Zoe Saldana

Be the first to discover the full campaign over at the @CampariUK account. And of course, drink responsibly.