Pitti Palace

I really enjoyed visiting the Pitti Palace in part due to its largesse and extensive art collection, but also due to the amazing fashion collection! Not only was the collection fulled with antiquities, but it was also filled with historical symbols of Italian fashion. One of the first rooms we went into housed two dresses, severely contrasted, but with similar styles of the robe a la francaise. The first was a dress from 1775-1780 that was titled as "manifattura siciliana", that was a much more historical version. The second was a dress by Gianfranco Ferre from 1989 in Milan that was a modern day interpretation of the French period styles that looked like something a haute couture, French ballerina would wear. It was a classical black tank top (dress?) with a cape-like, huge, feathered (taffeta) skirt that tied at the front. Both featured the "French enlightenment rose," which was created just for Marie Antoinette in the 15th century.

I particularly enjoyed the pieces by Fortuny and Ferre. Fortuny really seemed to be inspired by the fabulous Greek goddesses, as he titled two of the featured dresses as "Peplos tea gown" from 1934, and "Delphos tea gown" from 1911. They both were inspired by the idea of liberation of women's bodies, which was shown in the weightless, gauzy looking fabric that was used in both dresses. The Ferre dresses had such extravagant bustiers and intricate decoration. Most of the items were evening dresses and were extraordinarily structural - keeping with the architectural trend he is so well known for. However, there was one dress he had that had draped raffia on the bodice that I really did not like. It looked like limp noodles.

I'm pretty sure this dress was in the collection. Either way it's a great example of draping that is consistent with following the lines of the body from the 1930s.

And these were also featured: one is a wedding dress from the mid to late 1900s and the other is a "day dress" from the early 1900s

Costume Gallery at Palazzo Pitti

I love everything about Palazzo Pitti and the Costume Gallery was no exception.  I would have never known that it existed and it was really cool to see an area of the palace that was not as crowded.  The glitzy architecture and interior design came to life when I saw mannequins dressed in such iconic styles.  It would have been nice if the labels were more accessible, as it was tough to refer to them and observe the fashion at the same time.  I also would have liked being able to walk around the outfits more.
I didn't particularly enjoy the special exhibit on Native American costume.  While it was interesting ti see the creative and unprecedented use of materials, I thought that it didn't blend well, especially because it was stuck in the middle of the exhibit, which made for awkward transitions.  It was an odd juxtaposition with the glamorous architecture of the palace.
I was sad that our visit was so rushed!

Ferragamo Museum

Only after my visit to this museum am I able to grasp the genius of Salvatore Ferragamo.  I have long been aware of his appealing style.  However, I was shocked by his aptitude for creative innovation and inventing useful tools in fashion.  I was impressed by all of the patents that Ferragamo created, especially putting metal in the arch of a high heel for support.  Designs that I liked were: the crocheted shoe, the rainbow cork sandal and the mirrored heel.  I really liked that the family endorsed the idea of the Ferragamo museum, and did what they could to support the endeavor.
I was disappointed by the ratio of Ferragamo material to Marilyn Monroe material.  Information about Marilyn furthered my understanding of Ferragamo in the public light, but I thought there was too much time and energy spent on that portion of the museum.  It took the focus away from Ferragamo's expertise and turned it to the drama and sexiness of a movie star that everyone visiting the museum is familiar with.  While is was interesting to put Ferragamo's designs in a social context, the display was too extensive.

Hommage a Elsa Schiaparelli 11C - Bianca

Hommage a Elsa Schiaparelli 11C -  Bianca

• High level of integrity
• Fashion is inspired by facts, trends, politics
• Self-motivated couture training
• She was a painter/sculptor before designer
• Dress-designing was a form of art
• Creations of design are soon forgotten 
• Texture specifically interested Schiaparelli
• Her first order was the result of her publicly wearing a design to a luncheon - class introduction
• “Schiaparelli pour le Sport” - first front door sign 
• She did not have a true formal training, but simply created cuts herself 
• She claimed that the body was the frame for the clothes
• Liveliness of clothes come from being worn
• 1929-1930 - Sciaparelli becomes more daring with her designs
• She created sportswear and wanted to emphasize the natural curves of the body as opposed to the illusionistic styles of the 20s
• 1930 - black was very big and texture of fabric/bordering was important
• Terry cloth and upholstery type fabrics decorated beachwear
• The grid design was a fairly new and modern patterning
• Zippers were used for decorative purposes
• She used materials like corduroy, tweed, imitation silk, and silk imitating wool
• 1931 was a time for unusual cuts and provoking details
• She sponsored “costume jewelry”
• She was known for her caps in lozenge shapes
• 1934 was a time where emphasis on color was huge - naming colors became popular
• She invented the idea of the “boutique” with ready to wear designs, accessories, and perfumes
• Styles of hats varied including, “Spider,” “Chef Hats,” and “Draw Pull”
• She created surrealist accessories - shaped in forms of all types of objects and ideas
• Colors were also used in hosiery 
• Her perfume evolved “Shocking by Schiaparelli”
• Evening dress culture was transforming
• After WWII it was difficult to find materials
• 1954 - she closed her boutique
• She was a strong believer in the power of the individual against the forces of oppression, jealousy, and hardship
• Her designs were of sociological necessity. They were witty, yet beautiful. 

Costume Gallery at Pitti Palace

For our last field trip, we went to the Pitti Palace and saw all the wonderful clothes there. It was so nice, I always wanted to go see the inside of it, after seeing the Boboli gardens so many times. The rooms were beautiful, I loved the artwork of the ceilings. The dresses were very beautiful, I really enjoyed seeing all of them.

Costume Gallery at Palazzo Pitti

Today, We went to the Palazzo Pitti Costume Gallery. I was extremely excited to see the Costume Gallery because my mother and aunt had been to the gallery just a few weeks prior and RAVED about it. I thought that it was quite interesting to hear it is the only costume gallery in Italy run by the State.

As we entered the gallery, we walked into a room that juxtaposed past and present fashion.  There was a 15^th century a la Francaise gown positioned next to a modern gown that emphasized a rosette filled skirt.  The colors of the two dresses were quite similar, both a taupe/nude color. The modern dress had a black sleeveless top which continued into a full skirt, similar to the full body of an a la Francaise.

It was interesting to hear professor speak about the importance of the face representation. The face depicted with the a la franciase dress was that of neutral and indistinctive features. This is in comparison to the modern dress, which had distinctive bone structure and eyes.  Even the placement of the dolls hands of the modern dress signified a style quite different from the 15^th century.

As we continued through the gallery rooms, I began to notice that each room had a theme. One room emphasized fringe, another pleats, and layered clothing. In the fringe room, one dress appeared to be a representation of a 1920’s flapper dress, when in fact, it was a dress from the 1960’s. This shows that textile and silhouette elements have carried throughout decades of fashion.

One of my favorite pieces in the entire collection was in the pleated room. This piece looked as though it was some sort of jacket--- a white couture jacket. We learned today the jacket was a representation of oysters, and that the woman wearing this jacket was depicted as a pearl. There is symbolism within this article of clothing. An oyster gives birth to a pearl, and therefore, the woman wearing this garment is similar to an oyster and is considered a precious beauty. I have a hard time comparing clothing to life themes, but this oyster and pearl representation made sense! Every woman wants to be as precious as a pearl found within an oyster—It is for this reason that the jacket represents an expensive, couture piece of clothing.

We have learned TONS about the fashion of Elenora de Toledo. I was so excited to see the original burial gown of Elenora. For our class this semester, I reported on the “cut and construction” article by Janet Arnold. In this article, Janet spoke about the burial garments of Cosimo I, Elenora, and Don Garzia. It was incredible to see the actual burial garments of the royal Medici family in person. The burial garments were mostly destroyed, but what was left was magnificent. The textiles were impeccable and the linings of all the garments were hand-made.  It was interesting to see how conservations researchers depicted what the full garments looked like in the 15^th century. These garments are precious gems and I feel so lucky to have seen the royal Medici family’s burial garments in person!

All I can say is that I had a great afternoon at the Costume Gallery—A great way to end the semester!

Visit to the Ferragamo!

I absolutely loved the Ferragamo museum. The Marilyn Monroe Collection [The Venus] (the final piece in the Ferragamo trilogy of Ferragamo Women - along with Audrey Hepburn [The Cinderella] and Great Garbo [The Aristocrat]) was an absolutely amazing peek into the history of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) sex symbols of all time.

The room that housed her most famous outfits also had a continual reel of clips from her most famous movies. It felt like stepping back into time and witnessing her acting firsthand. I loved all of the Travilla designs - as he was well known for working with Marilyn on eight or so Hollywood movies.

These are two of her most well known dresses from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and they are both by Travilla.

As a high end shoe buff, I adored the Ferragamo shoes section of the exhibit as well. There were replicas of some of the most famous shoes he's ever created: the Carmen Miranda shoes, the shoes with a removable sock lining, the shoes custom made for an Indian princess with real jewels, and the invisible sandal.

It was interesting to learn how he came from very humble roots and became one of the most well known designer names in the world. He was born in 1898 and made his shoe debut at his sisters' communion. He moved to Boston and worked in a shoe factory, but didn't enjoy that line of work, so he moved to Santa Barbara and opened a shop. He became well known through the shoes he made for movie sets and eventually some of the most famous movie stars ever. Eventually he moved back to Florence because the quality of craftsmanship was much higher. Ferragamo was debatably at the peak of creativity and innovation during the World Wars when he no longer had easy access to high quality materials and began to use materials that were available but deemed "poor." He used materials like cork, raffia, cellophane, fish skin, canvas, embroidery, and goat skin. He also invented the "wedge," the "stilletto" heel, and arch support (and consequently more comfortable shoes).

The Who's Who in Italian Fashion: Part I

The Who’s Who of the Italian Fashion: Part I

•  February 12, 1951: The official birthdate of the Italian Look.

• Italian high fashion was invented by the efforts of Giovan Battista Giorgini.

• He was an insightful businessman who organized the export of Italian products during WWII.

• He was convinced of the talent of Italian workers and the quality of Italian craftsmanship. 

• He even went so far as to bring back American products to Italy to see if there were ways in which they could improve their technique, including dolls and shoe molds.

• He was the first to suggest to the major houses in Italy to create a look completely different from those of the French fashion houses.

•  He convinced 10 high fashion names and 4 boutiques to put on a show in his home in Florence for American buyers and journalists.

• The show was such a success that he had to transfer venues to the Grand Hotel for the next season’s showing in July of 1951. 

•  In 1953, he had to change venues again because of size, obtaining the Sala Bianca in the Pitti Palace, and introduced the T-shaped catwalk. 

•  In 1954, the Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Tourist Board established the Florence Center for Italian Fashion.

• By 1959, tensions began to emerge as certain houses decided to show their collections outside of Florence, such as Paris and Rome.

• By 1966, all of the major fashion houses had decided to show in Rome instead of Florence.

• The Roman Era of fashion fell into decline because of the overly rich fashions of haute couture, and Florence and Rome came to an agreement in scheduling of fashion shows that ended the feud between the two.

• By the early 1970s, however, Florence came into conflict with another city: Milan.  And my 1974, there had been many major defections to Milan.

• Milan became as famous, and maybe even more so, than Paris for its ready-to-wear, high Italian fashion.

• Milan and Florence finally found a compatible compromise: Milan was to showcase the new and exciting fashions, and Florence became the marketplace of the fashion boutiques.