Opera Chic

Bolle & Zakharova in Pomellato Benefit

Vogue Italia and Pomellato have teamed for a charity project "Lock your love. Don’t lock your heart" to benefit the Italian Fondazione Ieo, a non-profit org to benefit the European Institute of Oncology. Three couples were choosen to model the lock and silver charm engraved with inspirational words, among them Roberto Bolle and Svetlana Zakharova, frequent La Scala ballerina partners. The bracelet's on sale from 10th December for 90 euro on Pomellato's website or in Italy-based boutiques, and available on Valentine's Day at Yoox.

Bolle Runs the Ball

So the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala happened last night, a.k.a. Anna Wintour's Fashion Prom, where celebrities showed up to show-off straight from the runway looks for the ostentatious inauguration of the museum's “Punk: Chaos to Couture” costume exhibition, which predicated the night's punk-chic theme.

The gala would have been a total TRACK. WALL. CYA. if HBIC Austin Scarlett was among the predictable clique of Hollywood darlings, but there was Roberto Bolle, whose twitter feed popped with intimate photos of A-list celebs (like Madonna, below), sleek in weapon-of-choice Dolce & Gabbana tux. Rarely dateless, his +1 was fellow Dolce & Gabanna ambassador Giovanna Battaglia (above).

Zandra Rhodes keeps it real.

Vanity Fair Italia's Coverboy Bolle

Straight from our fantasies onto print. Vanity Fair Italia's chosen the lethally-gorgeous, 37-year-old Italian primo ballerino for its December 2012 cover story although it's not like they have to actually put real words into the feature to sell the title but if you want, here's the text of "The effort of having to say 'I love you'".

The twitter junkie's put teasers on his twitter, naturally, which should hold us out until we hit up our favorite Largo Treves newstand.  

Roberto Bolle's Giorgia Madness: "Tu Mi Porti Su"

The Italian etoile and world's hottest man has improvised a choreography, dancing to Italian pop number 1 song, "Tu Mi Porti Su" by Giorgia. An amateur video was shot, then posted to YouTube.

Roberto Bolle In Paris @ Berluti Party for Fashion Week, Les Jardins du Palais Royal

This past Friday Roberto Bolle was at the Berluti party in Paris at the Jardins du Palais Royal, rocking a Berluti total look and hanging out with Diane Kruger, Dita von Teese, Carine Roitfeld, Ellen von Unwerth and Berluti Creative Director, Alessandro Sartori (photo Stéphane Feugère)

 

Two Bobs in Times Square

Roberto Bolle's big-ass face (at 11:57pm) in a red jacket and white bowtie, as chosen by the brilliant Robert Wilson, for his "Crossroads of the World" video portrait project which runs all month. 

Bolle's in NYC until the end of June with the ABT, eating sushi and shaking his thang.

Last One Out, Turn off the Lights: Bolle for WWF's Earth Hour (for La Scala)

Aside from loving his assassin-grade abs, we love Roberto Bolle because from the beginning, he's always used his influence and fame to publicize charitable initiatives. Instead of lighting Cuban cigars with 500 euro notes from his La Scala paychecks, he's off to Africa as a Unicef ambassador or hanging out with pandas for the WWF.

His latest WWF collaboration happened last night with the wildlife conservation/endangered species foundation for its "L'Ora della Terra" campaign, which translates into "The Torah of Terror." lol just kidding...it translated to "Earth Hour".

The six-year-old worldwide event, dedicated to climate change and environmental sustainability, enlists international landmarks to symbolically turn off its lights for an hour. This year (which happened last night), Milan's participants included Teatro alla Scala and the Pirellone tower.

Here's the spot that Bolle filmed for La Scala, who turned off it's (insanely-gorgeous) chandelier for an hour last night (although frankly, it's turned off from like 8pm - 12pm every night, no?)

For those of you who don't give a sh*t about the environment: here's a video of Bolle hugging a stuffed panda bear!

omg baer!

It's Hard Work Being Roberto Bolle

That's the title ("Essere Bolle e' un Lavoro Duro") in Corriere della Sera's Io Donna la Repubblica's D Magazine January 14 edition that shares a small interview with the Italian ballerino, principal dancer at both Milan's Teatro alla Scala and New York City's American Ballet Theatre. The 36-year-old Adonis is preparing for Excelsior (also the name of one of our favorite luxury department stores in Milan where we were coincidentally having a coffee with friends when the Italian gawd himself was upstairs in a dressing room trying on a thong -- photo below, life is so unfair for us mere mortals) which opens at Teatro alla Scala on January 20 and frankly kind of gives us a Springtime for Hitler finale vibe, no joke.  

So does it bother him when people objectify his hawt body?

"No, I'm conscious that the physical body has its own importance. A statuesque body has helped me in dance and has helped open me up to a more varied public. I'm sorry that some people, when they see something beautiful, whether it be a ballerina or an actor, don't understand that there's work behind it, a kind of personality."

And how exactly does he keep that magnificent shape (aside from healthy eating and dancing like seven hours a day?)

"Yoga, pilates, swim, training -- but I don't refuse once in a while some chocolate."

Bolle's Fridge & Freeze

Come to OC's 18th century apartment, open the fridge, and you'll find bottles of Badoit and Plose, the freshest veggies from  Fratelli Galantino fruttivendolo -- roasted beets, Sicilian lemons and tarocco oranges -- bars of bitter chocolate from Demel, black and green olives from Peck (they score them by hand, into quarters, so the flesh melts in your mouth) and mimolette and bitto cheeses.

So minus our savory and sweet indulgences, Roberto Bolle's fridge, as revealed by Corriere della Sera's Io Donna, kind of makes us feel at home.

The health-conscious ballerino splits his time between homes in Manhattan and Milano but stocks his New York City apartment fridge (no Sub-Zero, he's got one of those 1950-era vintage metal designs) with super-fresh produce. Fruit for breakfast and never coffee -- he hates the taste. Sometimes green tea if he needs a caffeine kick (good to know for when you're making Bolle breakfast-in-bed). If he's training, he takes a 40 minute lunch break and snacks on nuts, dried fruit, bananas, a protein bar and two hard boiled eggs that he brings from home. Heh. If he has the luxury of eating dinner at home, it's usually shrimp, avocado, salad, seitan and fish or meat.

 

Touched (by Bolle's Feet) For the Very First Time

*Adds Roberto Bolle's feet to fetish list*

Roberto Bolle -- easily the best thing to happen to twitter.

Topless Ballet Lessons with Roberto Bolle: Yes, It's Really as Good as it Sounds

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Who cares. It's Jake Ryan reincarnated as Roberto Bolle, flashing his muscolatura on Fiorello. Bolle stopped by the Italian comedian's show to prance around topless and wait a second, what just happened? Happy birthday, Samantha, make a wish. ~It already came true~

Earlier in the day, Bolle was on twitter, criticising the recent Finmeccanica/Guarguaglini inquest and caught Corriere della Sera's attention. The lesson? You don't always have to take off your shirt and flaunt your 6-hours-of-training (x) 6-days-a-week Adonis physique to get media attention. It sure helps, tho!

In Bed with Bolle

You don't follow Roberto Bolle's twitter, you say? Sucks for you! Our favorite ballerino embraces social media intimately.

Opera Chic and Grazia Magazine: La Scala's Gala des Étoiles

(Roberto Bolle and Massimo Murru photo: Brescia-Amisano Teatro alla Scala)

Opera Chic was in the house last week for La Scala's Gala des étoiles -- a spirited gathering of international scene-stealers from the top ballet companies -- and was so blown away with the streamlined stallions and prancing ponies on stage that she wrote a review for Grazia.it. Also it didn't hurt that Roberto Bolle was one of the featured dancers...

You can read it here, in Italian, on Grazia's website.

 

 

 

Roberto Bolle Does Spring GQ Style Italia

Our favorite and hawtest étoile, Roberto Bolle was interviewed for GQ Style by Paolo Giordano and photographed by Satoshi Saikusa. Cover boy Bolle posed in a Dior Homme tuxedo and a Dolce & Gabbana tank, although it's not the clothes we're looking at...

Click for more!

Roberto Bolle and Beatrice Carbone @ Mariano Vivanco's "Uomini" Party

 

Roberto Bolle & Beatrice Carbone showed up last night at the Dolce&Gabbana store on Corso Venezia to enhance the hotness factor of the opening for the photo exhibit "Uomini" by Mariano Vivanco -- all black and white images of seriously handsome models, "a celebration of male nudity" -- in the book there's also a special appearence by Tony Ward's privates (in full page close-up, we'd scan the page but it'd be very NSFW). Some images, mostly tame and safe for work, are here.

Sadly, Bolle appeared at the party but he's not part of the "Uomini" book itself; just go back to the classic Bruce Weber book if you're jonesing for moah Bolle.

Roberto Bolle Dances For UNICEF: His Central African Republic Diary in IoDonna

As goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, Roberto Bolle had visited Sudan in the past. At the beginning of this month he has visited the Central African Republic for a week (an experience, he says, that left him "deeply affected and scarred"), sharing his diary with IoDonna magazine, the weekly for Corriere della Sera. Bolle danced for Africa last night in Rome, at Auditorium Conciliazione, and tickets had been sold out forever.

But those who are willing to help -- UNICEF provides anti-malaria medication, promotes HIV prevention, digs wells to provide clean drinkable water among other things -- can do so by donating money over to UNICEF.it website, or by calling the Italian toll free number 800-7450000.

From Bolle's diary entry for the final day of his travel:

"Coming home to a Milan that now looks as fake as a reality TV show.  The one thing I can do to make this trip complete is to go back to my work, and dance for Africa"

Donate online HERE.

Click below for more:

Coverboy Bolle on Hercules Hercules!

Dang! Just when Paolo Pellegrin's understated, philosophical portrait of Roberto Bolle for the NYTime's T Magazine cooled things down in our Yamamotos, Hercules magazine comes out with this!

Roberto Bolle by Paolo Pellegrin

Many of OC's favorite artists aligned in this weekend's New York Times T Magazine winter issue for a special Milan spotlight, which profiled some of the city's best kept destinations and most elegant inhabitants. Tasked with the portraiture was Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin, whose always-stunning photographs make you wonder if he made a pact with Henri Cartier-Bresson's ghost. His portraiture work shines, but his Capa/Smith-esque photojournalism (especially his b/w work from Kosovo, Darfur, and Lebanon) leave you breathless. Sandwiched between quiet portraits of Miuccia Prada, Armani, the Sozzani sisters, Bolle gets perspective from La Scala's side palchi. Click here for Bolle's favorite Milan hang-outs (scroll down).

Roberto Bolle for Unicef (Again!)

We love our opera/ballet/classical music stars who give back/pay-it-forward and use their influence to benefit humanitarian aims that they hold near & dear. Which is exactly why we love Unicef Goodwill Ambassador (since 1999) and god-like monster of ballet Roberto Bolle, who will be at Rome's Auditorium della Conciliazione on November 20th for a gala benefit dedicated to one of his favorite causes.

«Diritti sotto le stelle» will benefit one of Unicef's initiatives of wiping-out poverty and hunger in Central Africa and Asia). Bolle will also be joined by his peers, later TBA.

In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated: Roberto Bolle Is So Back

Have you been jonesing for more Roberto Bolle? Here's the hottest man in the world with Marta Romagna, currently burning la Scala down with a William Forsythe spectacular.

click below for a NSFW, nippletastic version of the cropped photo (Brescia/Armisano) you see above.

Roberto Bolle Drops in on Kate Moss VF Profile

 

At the salon getting her hair did, OC was cruising through Vanity Fair Italia's edition with Brangelina on the cover, and came across a piece on Kate Moss. Above is obvs the best photo in the feature: the British model in NYC, 2008, with Donald Trump, Roberto Bolle and Zac Posen.   

It's Getting Hot in Here: Roberto Bolle at MoMA

 

NYC's MoMA exhibition, Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present just closed and Roberto Bolle was there for the party (with model Mariacarla Boscono) along with Liv Tyler, Bjork, Alan Rickman, Michael Stipe, and Patti Smith. All guests (well, most guests) were in Givenchy, the French fashion house sponsoring the party.

The exhibit was a performance retrospective to celebrate four decades of 63-year old Marina Abramović's installations, photos, and performances. A highlight of the exhibit kept the artist on hand to participate in the longest solo performance piece of her career: a staring contest. Ticket holders were invited to a stare-down with the artist, which also brought out the celebrities. Among the 1K people who participated (since March 14) was Lou Reed, Sharon Stone,  Isabella Rossellini, Alan Rickman, James Frano /unf unf/, and Björk (flickr portrait gallery here).

Under the cut is Day 6's portrait of Rufus Wainwright, who lasted 8 minutes against the artist and another photo of Boscono's bra-as-shirt combo.

Roberto Bolle (And Others) Shine at NYC's Costume Institute Gala

 

Roberto Bolle takes a departure from his Ferragamo contract and steps out in Dolce & Gabbana (with Elettra Wiedemann) at the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Roberto and Elettra -- who's, of course, Isabella Rossellini's daughter -- were sitting at Consuelo Castiglioni's table).

Other fierce Italians in the house? Donatella Versace & Margherita Missoni (both below).

Click for more Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour & Child, Sean Lennon (in Marni) & friends, Jeff & Justine Koons (both in Dolce & Gabbana) etc...

Full Frontal Bolle

 

Tonight at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Roberto Bolle will appear completely naked in Mats Ek's "Giselle".

It's Gonna Be a Bolle Day

 

It's Bolle madness in Milan! A few days ago, the ballerino was at Galleria Sozzani in Corso Como 10 (Carla Sozzani's unique boutique/restaurant/cafe/hotel/bookstore/gallery) signing his new Bruce Weber book "An Athlete in Tights".

 

But you won't believe your eyes when you see the Roberto Bolle merchandise that OC found in a Milan store the other day!

~Click the link below to make all of your wildest Bolle dreams come true!~