Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008 - (Page 8)

Vital Signs Ko n s ta n t i n a M a h l i a : A Ta l e n t o f M a n y Fac e s by Thomas Whittingslow onstantina Mahlia is better known to new York fashion editors and apparel buyers at saks Fifth avenue than she is to most tucsonans. she directs the world-wide marketing of the Mahlia collection from an elegant yet unpretentious design showroom in downtown tucson’s Historic train depot. the double-headed lion on the entry is the symbol of her emerging design group. Yet its owner, the creative force behind the collection, is more like a leopard. she moves smoothly yet precisely in every arena where she makes her mark. sitting on a velvet sofa that looks like it may have come from a Henry Potter novel, a flat television screen rolls out images of the Mahlia collection…chunky Byzantine rings that look like they could have come from the finger of Emperor Justinian or the topkapi Palace; delicate necklaces with a touch of mysticism; larger pieces of gold and silver with colored stones that look like they have been rescued from the treasures of a sunken spanish galleon. the remainder of the showroom is arranged with her heirloom furniture and antiques and it feels like you could write a novel about every piece in the room. “Even though I wasn’t born and raised in Greece, somehow I seem to have a strong geographical influence attached to my work,” she said. the furniture is very old world, yet there’s an impression of timelessness to it. the Mahlia collection is so diverse that design editors find it ©Jeffsmith/Fotosmith/2008 K hard to believe that it comes from a single source. “tina” as her older friends know her, has always been creative in everything she does, from being a mother of two children to being a hostess of elegant dinner parties among the cosmopolitan elite of cross-border culture. she threw off the shackles of being a trophy wife to one of the most successful produce brokers in Mexico. “I was in a world where my talents and abilities were absolutely unacknowledged,” she says. “It was a world where I was supposed to be ornamental. People did not see the abilities that I had other than friends and family asking me to ‘asethetisize’ something.” she left her marriage without a golden parachute. to call her a renaissance woman is not only trite but it underestimates this complex woman with so many facets. she enrolled in the university of arizona, not sure of what direction her future would take. the first tangible creative accomplishment to emerge from her new life was “the House of Many Faces,” an award-winning memoir of the lifestyle from which she has just escaped. the Midwest Book Review says, “the House of Many Faces is a personal testimony of a woman’s survival and escape from sexism, materialism, and societal traps by seeking vision, empowerment, and personal validation within her own home. Room by room, metaphors offer guidance into the nature of the world itself.” the House of Many Faces was a finalist in the Hollywood and new York book festivals — now she’s waiting to hear from the London festival. some critics consider it a break though in this genre. still her literary achievement was not enough. Konstantina had been designing jeweler and custom furniture in her previous life but her new found freedom gave greater expression to her work, along with the ability to share it with a larger audience but the struggle was not easy. How Konstantina Mahlia went from becoming a published author to a designer of high-end furniture and jeweler has always been a puzzle. asked where her immense creativity comes from, she responds, “with me it is very instinctive. Basically my challenge has been pragmatic, finding a place where I could launch myself and a vehicle to 8 downtown tucsonan.november.08 http://www.westwindsolar.com http://www.westwindsolar.com

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Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008 Contents Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performing Arts Events Film Historic Downtown Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008

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