Venezia!

            Venice is known for its winding canals and historical architecture, but I went for the clothes. The first museum we visited on our trip mainly focused on vintage and more modern couture and highlighted some of the most famous designers in the world. The entrance had grand high ceilings and the dress Madonna wore to the Venice Film Festival in 2011. From there it only got better! I saw couture dresses by Versace, Armani, Prada, and, one of my personal favorites, Valentino. Versace had two creations: one black and purple silk organdie dress (worn by Abby Cornish) that looked like it had a hundred little petals gently sprinkled on the skirt of the gown, and one evening dress (worn by Anne Hathaway) in seafoam green organza and glazed chiffon – it made her look like an ethereal mermaid of Hollywood.

            Prada had one of my second favorite dresses (worn by Gwyneth Paltrow) in pale pink silk with an attention grabbing bow detail on the back.

            However, my favorite modern dress was the one Jessica Alba wore to the premiere of Machete.

            There were so many gorgeous and diverse styles from all eras. I personally liked the items more from the modern times (generally the past century or so). Seeing the variety of textiles (velvet, tulle, fur, Chantilly lace!) and the structures of dresses that I recognized (like the robe a la Françoise style dress made of fur!) was so cool!

A few other famous attire items were from The Talented Mr. Ripley with Matt Damon, The Tourist with Angelina Jolie, Death in Venice  (mostly by Piero Tosi), and De Gasperi: The Man of Hope (mostly by Alessandro Lai). My favorite piece of clothing in the vintage collection was a perfectly structured evening gown made by Lai in black silk taffeta and Chantilly lace. Many of the other designers (even more modern day ones) used Chantilly lace in their collections featured in this exhibit (like in Scognamiglio’s Spring and Summer 2011 line). The attention to detail was incredible with many of the fabrics falling just right so as to create a flowing waterfall of fabric. Alberta Ferretti, Gianfranco Ferre, Lorenzo Riva, and Guiseppe Lanotti, who had THE MOST STUNNING pair fire engine red suede shoes with gold piping and red crystal embroidery.

            I didn’t find the Fortuny museum nearly as interesting as the first one. It seemed like a random collection of items put together in a messy sort of way. The modern art in the attic went pretty well with the atmosphere, but it was a little confusing to be skipping from Fortuny’s art and collection to extremely modern and subjective art.

Fashion in Venice

When I think of fashion and Italian cities, Venice is not the first one that comes to mind.  Milan, maybe, but not Venice.  However, I was surprised by the immense fashions represented in the first museum we visited.  At the Palazzo Mocenigo there were many dresses that had been worn by celebrities, as well as costumes from famous movies and historical recreations of famous dresses.

My favorite dress in the first museum was a gold lace dress with a full length skirt and long sleeves that had been worn by Keira Knightly.

This dress is a style that I would find personally appealing, so it was nice to see that a celebrity has a similar taste.

The second museum we visited was a bit more confusing.  Though I liked the eclectic collection and the set up of the house-like museum, I didn't fully understand the connection between the collection and our class.   The layout of the museum was interesting as well - the first floor was very chaotic and had a large collection.  The second floor had a bit more modern style, and was slightly less crowded than the first one.  By the time we reached the third floor, the collection was extremely modern, and seemed sparse in comparison to the first floor.

Overall, I thought Venice was a great experience.  I'm glad that we got to explore such a different Italian city, and that we got to see representations of the types of dresses we have studied.

Venice by Samantha

This past Friday, my class and I went to Venice! It was an amazing experience. I've wanted to go to Venice for as long as I can remember. It was even more beautiful than I expected. I'm from Long Island and I work on a ferry, so I love the water and felt very happy/at home in Venice. I found the ferry buses to be very cool and I thought it was interesting how quickly they loaded and unloaded the boat at each stop, and the lack of lines used to tie up the boat because they were trying to keep on schedule. I also enjoyed the slow pace of Venice. It was nice to have a long boat ride and to just enjoy the scenery. 

I noticed that many buildings were decorated the same way and that there was a lot of beautiful, interesting architecture to feast on. I loved the gondolas and the bridges. Everywhere you looked just seemed so picturesque. 

The first museum Palazzo Mocenigo, was of many designer dresses that celebrities have worn. Some dresses were really very beautiful. There was a dress Jessica Alba wore that I was stunned by. It was gorgeous, having so many different textures, patterns, and a high-low hem. It is sad to me because the beauty of this dress will never be fully captured by a camera. There was also a dress that Madonna wore to a red carpet even that was stunning. It had red and white butterflies made out of beads on a blue silk gown. I don't know if i agree with the color scheme, but I thought the detail was gorgeous. Many dresses from the museum stuck out at me, but what really intrigued me was how tiny the dresses were. I'm a tall girl, so sometimes I feel like a giant, but I don't know if every dress was fit to the mannequins or if everyone in Hollywood actually is a size 0, but it was very unsettling to see how small the dresses and waist sizes were. This also brings up the point of dresses being so small/short from centuries ago. I was talking to some of my classmates and we were all surprised by how petite people were years ago and believe it has to do at least partially with being malnourished.  My family is very tall, my brother is 6'4'', my dad is 6'3'', and his brothers are 6'5'' and 6'7'', so I guess I feel it's strange how differently sized people can be and that there shouldn't be a "social norm" for people to follow because it's ridiculous and impossible. I think that's what makes the world and people interesting and everyone is attracted to people of all different shapes and sizes, therefore everyone should feel good about the way they look and not beat themselves up about not looking like the Hollywood stars who are the opposite of the norm and have to look a certain way because it's their job.

The second museum we visited was called Autunno a Palazzo Fortuny. It consisted of three floors, which got simpler from each floor to the next. The first floor was by far my favorite. It was so eclectic, there was clothing, paintings, ladders, rugs, jewelry, an immensely detailed, huge doll house, and numerous patterned cloths that covered the windows. It was really cool, everything looked like it was just thrown in, but it all went together so well, that it was fascinating to me to look at each new item I laid my eyes on. My favorite pieces were the peacock dress, a painting entitled Medusa s.d. Tempera on canvas, and another painting that was all black with a gold chandler. This painting was sitting in a shadow, so it was in the dark, but the museums had a single spot light on the chandler that made it seem like it was lite up. 

Cut and Constuction article Summary: Article by Janet Arnold (sorry for the late post, i forgot we needed to post them online)

Cut and Construction

Doublet, trunk-hose, cloak and bonnet

Worn by Don Garzia de’ Medici

Presented by: Amalia Antonoplos

Article by: Janet Arnold

This article depicts the garments of Don Garzia in his grave at Capella dei Principi of San Lorenzo. His coffin was opened in 1857 and the cut and construction of his garments were scrutinized. Elenora of Toledo’s garments were also examined in this article

Doublet

·       Red satin decorated with gold thread

·       Fastened with buttons and worked in silk thread- buttons now missing

·       Traditionally lined with linen. Small fragments of linen remain

o   Waistband was linen. The panes would have been tightly gathered into leg bands

·       Sleeves were folds of satin

·       Ribbons were tied in the holes of the doublet. The bottom of the doublet shows traces of holes, but they are not punched all the way through.

o   Perhaps this is because Garzia grew quickly and needed extra length in the body

Cloak

·       Remnants of the cloak were noted from the collar of the sleeves

o   The cloak represents contemporary English style

·       Hanging sleeves were slit at the top to match the cloak and fastened with braided loops

o   Polish fashion

Bonnet

·       Dark brown velvet- silk lining

·       Crown of bonnet with 39 spaced dart tucks

o   Western Europe fashion. Seen in portraits with jewels or ostrich feathers

Elenora of Toledo Coffin Gown

·       Floor length gown- white satin, embroidered bust, hemmed skirt. This gown was worn under a zimarra

·       Underneath gown is crimson velvet, silk stockings

·       Hair in braids

·       Strips of crimson silk found were remnants of garters, but were later found to be used to tie a corpse together (hands and legs)

·       Back of the dress had lace with eyelet holes. Uneven lacing shows that she was dressed in a hurry for the burial

·       Gown remnants of French fashion rather than Florentine due to the side embroidering

Venice Trip: Palazzo Mochenigo and Palazza Fortuny

Off to Venice for the day! It was incredible to see a city built around water. No cars, no bikes, no buses. Instead, there are water taxis and buses to transport you through the different piazzas in the city!

When we arrived in Venice we went straight to the Palazzo Mochenigo for their Fashion Cinema exhibit. We walked in and were greeted by the gorgeous Rodolfo Paglialunga blue silk gown worn by Madonna in the 2011 W.E Premiere. The dress had scattered red beaded butterflies, which created an incredible contrast to the light blue color of the dress. I knew that I would be in for a treat after seeing the first gown at the exhibit!

As we walked up the stairs, beautiful couture gowns worn by Hollywood’s most famous actresses surrounded us. I instantly fell in love with so many of the gowns. Two in particular were my favorites. One was a Prada gown worn by Gweneth Paltrow. The gown was powder pink, had a slim fit, and had a detailed large bow on the back of the dress.

Ann Hathaway wore another one of my favorite dresses. It is an avant-garde dove-grey strapless dress. The dress draped to the right side and the bottom had lavish pickups and rosettes. I do not remember who the designed of this dress was, but it was drop dead gorgeous. I could not stop staring at it!!

The next part of the exhibit was a clothing display of various Italian designers. My favorite pieces were the ones done by Roberto Cavalli. One outfit in particular caught my eye. Roberto Cavali designed a couture dress with a lavish fur neckline and a silk- satin Japanese inspired skirt. The dress interestingly meshed fur and Japanese calligraphy designs quite well.

The rest of our day was spent at the Palazzo Fortuny. I am not the biggest fan of modern art, so I did not particularly care for this museum. One room consisted of photographs of upside-down kitchen appliances. I just do not see how this is art. I did not enjoy that part of the exhibit. I did, however, enjoy the illusion portion of the exhibit. It was fun to look at the different illusions portrayed through the mirrors,-- When you walked by an image appeared and then slowly faded away.

Overall, I had a great day in Venice! I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to go to Venice. I had an unforgettable experience exploring the city and seeing the fashion cinema exhibit. Till next time….. 

Reading Summary: Marchande des Modes

Fashion and the Growing Importance of the Marchande des Modes in Mid-Eighteenth-Century France, Pamela A. Parmal: Summary

The Marchande des Modes were responsible for selling and applying ornamental trims to clothing.  The popularity of trims in the eighteenth century made quick personal changes to an otherwise standard piece of clothing possible.  General clothing styles took a long time to change but trims were constantly being reinvented.  Personalization was key because there was only one style of dress (robe a la fancaise) worn by the vast majority of women.  The robe consisted of an overdress, petticoat and stomacher.  The stomacher functioned to cover the corset worn underneath and had the most trim.  Over time, the trim extended down the skirt and included ornamentation such as bows and lace.   Trims became more and more elaborate, until there was a movement in the 1780s for simple trims on informal wear.  Marcande des Modes had an important role in society because they were responsible for embellishing clothing, and were thus responsible for clothing trends.  As the author states: “While the couturiere and tailor still constructed the garments, it was the Marchande who made them fashionable.” (77)  This career allowed women to work in fashion, though they typically had to work underneath their husbands.  The most famous Marchande was Rose Bertin, who serviced the Queen, and was therefore responsible for many French fashion trends of this time period.

La Pietra

If I had to summarize the collection in two words, I would choose eclectic and grandiose. The house museum was originally home to many powerful families that lived in Florence (Sassetti, Incontri, etc.) until Arthur and Hortense bought it in 1903. It has a very homey and lived-in feeling to it. Because there are so many items from all over the world, it seems like it should give the house’s items a sense of disconnect, however, the arrangement and displays of the items as a whole make it even more charming.

My favorite items were the antique Parisian mannequin heads from the 1920s. They were so intricately detailed that the amount of care that went into their creation was obvious. The art director said that they were previously used for hats. While the larger mannequin heads seemed like the right size for a normal sized hats, the smaller mannequin heads (about the size of a wooden cooking spoon with a thicker and longer neck and base) seemed more appropriate for something more Kate Middleton-esque.

My favorite room was Hortense’s bathroom. Between the extraordinarily valuable, vintage LOUIS VUITTON LUGGAGE CASES from the 1930s (I admit, the thought of running off with one may have crossed my mind at some point, but then I realized it could not be done inconspicuously), the gorgeous art deco style chandelier with colorful flowers, and the handmade, barely worn, vintage shoes, I was in heaven. Each of the shoes were similarly shaped with thick heels (and barely worn!), but were very different in decoration. One was made of silver and gold leather, one was made from a coral colored silk with real coral decorations, one was made from a beautiful multicolored green embroidered vaguely reminiscent of a more oriental style. Her feet were ridiculously tiny too! All of her silver personal care items were equally as astounding as the rest of the room: brushes, mirrors, combs, glove openers, powder brushes, everything a girl could ever want!

The dresses were on one of the top floors of La Pietra, being taken care of in the textile room. Most of the 25 dresses that were found just hanging in the bathroom were of French origins and all of them were highly fashion forward for someone of Hortense’s time. Many were made by the famous dress designer Callot Soeurs. All of these dresses were very exotic and many were inspired by typically eastern styles (like from China). All of the dresses were painstakingly beaded and often had gorgeous lace detailing using golden and silver lamé, glass and pearlized beads, and delicate lace. My favorite dress in the collection was a sheer silver and golden wisp of a dress. It had an almost luminescent quality to it. Any woman who walked into the room wearing this dress definitely would have been the star of the night.

It seems to me that the Callot Soeurs were trend setters of their time, as they opened in 1895 and the styles of their dresses were copied by typical 1920s style (flapper dresses, low waisted hems, intricate beading, etc).

This is one of the dresses that was part of the exhibit in La Pietra. My favorite thing about it (that you cannot tell from just looking at it) is the blue underlining of the dress skirt. The asymmetrical cut of the skirt allowed for a little peek at the vibrant blue color hidden underneath.

This is another dress I stumbled upon when looking up Callot Soeurs. I’d wear it.

 

Hoarders: Stibbert Style

I knew I had found the right place by the looks of the expansive gardens and well decorated wall of plaques, crests, and stone animal heads. As for the inside of the buildings - there was just so much stuff! At times I was overwhelmed by the decadence of the rooms and the intricateness of the details of… everything! From the room literally covered from wall to wall and floor to ceiling in decorated tiles to the vintage, ornate mirrors and colorful stained glass, no room was left undecorated. The vast amounts of furniture, porcelain, paintings, chandeliers, portraits, and tapestries – each piece seemingly more lavish than the last, was mind blowing.

Pictures: Property of Stibbert Museum

While I’m not personally a huge fan of armor, this collection managed to catch my attention. The ornate detailing on each of the pieces of armor and weaponry was astounding (as was the sheer number of objects in his collection). It seemed like a never ending flow of swords, daggers, spears, and other forms of weapons. It was also nice to see the contrast between the three most typical styles of armor: German, Italian, and Muslim. The German armor seemed almost sturdier and more practical, not dissimilar to typically German values. The Italian armor was slightly more bold color with a hint of Italian history in the presence of the finely decorated textiles. The Muslim armor was quite boring in comparison to the other two styles. It was grey and mostly chain mail. It also seemed lighter in comparison to the other two European styles. While there were many basic differences between the three styles of armor, each was decorated just as finely as the next.

One of the more famous rooms, Sala della Cavalcata (Hall of the Cavalcade), showcases armor from different countries (around the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, India), modeled on knights riding horses. It was here the differences in culture became most obvious. It was so interesting to think that something as simple as armor could be interpreted in so many ways.

As mentioned in class, Stibbert’s bedroom is literally the smallest room in the house. I really appreciated this fact because I think it’s nice that for once, an art collector of his status with a collection so grand, really wants to place the emphasis on his art. If I ever had the chance to meet Stibbert, I can only imagine he would be quite humble, and love talking about his travels!

Unfortunately the Stibbert museum didn’t seem so keen on labeling items so learning more about the artifacts was extremely difficult and mildly frustrating.

I really enjoyed the “una teenager nella moda” exhibit, especially because of my recent visit to the Ferragamo museum in Florence. Giovanna Ferragamo’s style and designs are true to the Ferragamo name: classic. Her style has very clean cut lines that draw the eye to all of the right places. The clothes are slightly conservative (as is common with Ferragamo), but are also very feminine (as well as surprisingly modern for something from over 50 years ago), playing up the best assets of women and empowering them through fashion. In this exhibition, she used the classic black and white color scheme, bold colors, and plunging necklines (on her evening dresses) to make a statement.