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.