Today's column is brought to you through blurry eyes and a pounding hangover. I didn't want to drink that much but "when in Rome" (in this case Milan) I caved to the pressure of Sambuca and vino at the after-party of the 12th Annual Milan Tattoo Convention.

The tattoo artists looked happy. Everybody I spoke to worked all through the weekend, creating interesting tattoos and fattening their wallets -- although a bunch of convention goers did try to bargain down the price. I saw one couple holding two Vuitton overnight bags lobbying for a deal, which I doubt they did at the Louis store. And while I have faith in the longevity of luxury goods, I doubt they'll be around a lifetime and then some. My personal rule of thumb: A custom tattoo should cost more than a handbag.


Crowd at the 12th Annual Milan Tattoo Convention

Beyond bargain shoppers, most attendees seemed to understand that they had an opportunity to get tattooed by the best tattooers in the world, all in one place. I saw Boris of Hungary work a stunning realistic tattoo, while Shige of Japan collected yet another prize for his stellar Horimono. Holland's Yugen Tattoo tattooed non-stop creating beautiful black-and-grey Japanese works, and Chuey from Good Time Charlie's brought LA street style to Italy.

Filip Leu, tattoo messiah, spent less time at his booth and more time walking around and speaking with artists and collectors, spreading good will. His dark counterpart, Paul Booth, was busy back in NY so Liorcifer and Ethan Morgan worked their magik at the Last Rites booth.

I also had the pleasure of watching Suicide Girl's own Jo Harrison, aka Frankie, needle some gorgeous floral pieces. I devoured her whole tattoo portfolio and loved her Japanese and new school work, as well as her realistic portraits. Also representing SG were the beautiful Cherry, who was photographing the dos and don'ts of tattoo convention fashions, and I also bumped into the uber-cool Sheena of Switzerland waiting to get a signature piece by Italy's Amanda Toy.


Calypso Tattoo Booth

As for me, I was busy running around interviewing tattooers, taking bad pictures, and playing with my MacBook--the Booth Cam--of the convention. You can see photos from Day 2 of the convention here and booth cam pix here.


The real attraction was the body art, of course, but the exhibitions were a great complement. As I wrote on Needled, I enjoyed the spectacular performances by Vatea Tahiti: Dances of the South Pacific, and Les Sours Tribales, a tribal bellydance troupe. Beautiful (and sensual) cultural productions, a far cry from the strippers at conventions of old but just as sexy. Then I developed a new love for the ancient martial arts watching sweaty Italian men beat each other for the Ludus Magnum exhibit.


Booth Cam photo

For the fine art component, interesting collaborative charcoals came out of the Art Fusion Experiment, and then Crez of Adrenalink Ink did a live painting performance on the Japanese dragon.

And so with all the diverse art and performances, plus the special Italian wine made for the show, the convention was an ultra-sensory experience throughout the weekend...One that ended abruptly this morning, replaced by that numb, tongue fuzziness associated with the end of successful convention celebrations. Looking forward to next year.


Marisa_DiMattia is a lawyer and editor of Needled.com, a blog on tattoo art and culture.