(By Erica Firpo)
Federico Fellini may have pushed
Italian style to center stage with his 1960 classic film La
Dolce Vita, but more than a decade earlier, Italy was already
stepping to the forefront of fashion.
Since the 1940s, silver-screen celebrities, major world
figures and international It girls have been styled by Italy's
most important designers.
On April 5, London's Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum
celebrates Italian fashion history with the opening of the
exhibition The Glamour of Fashion, 1945-2014.
From postwar pioneers such as designers Emilio Pucci and
Sorelle Fontana to 1980s startups like Versace, the Glamour of
Fashion documents Italy's meteoric rise in fashion in a
comprehensive display of more than 100 outfits and accessories,
as well as dozens of vintage and modern photos, videos and
documented interviews.
The V&A aims to contextualize the evolution of Italian
fashion by featuring iconic pieces like Audrey Hepburn's
Gattinoni-designed dress for War & Peace and Elizabeth Taylor's
legendary engagement diamonds and emeralds by Bulgari.
Additionally, the exhibition features a coterie of names
that read like a walk along Milan's high-end Via Napoleone,
including pieces from historic houses Valentino, Ferragamo,
Gattinoni and Pucci, revolutionaries such as Missoni, Versace
and Prada, and newcomers Giambattista Valli, Fausto Puglisi and
Valentino's designing duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo
Petioles.
Simultaneously, The Glamour of Fashion examines the impact
of Hollywood films and style icons such as Taylor, Hepburn and
Ava Gardner whose roles as unofficial 'ambassadors' of fashion
brought Italian style around the world.
"I am thrilled to be celebrating Italy's immense
contribution to the international fashion world," shared V&A
Director Martin Roth.
"This exhibition will chronicle the development of the
legendary Italian style, not only focusing on the familiar but,
importantly, casting light on the less well-known designers and
stories".
With an already enviable permanent collection that covers
four centuries of dress, the V&A is the ideal place for a
decades-spanning fashion exhibition.
The museum holds the largest and most comprehensive
collection of vestments in the world, including rare gowns and
evening wear.
The Bulgari-sponsored exhibition will be right at home.
The Glamour of Fashion opens on April 5 and runs through
July 27.
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