Those who visit ‘The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014’ exhibition at the V&A (until 27th July, 2014) will indeed feel a sense of admiration for the ‘well-made’ and the spectacular. Sponsored by Bulgari, this fascinating exhibition showcases about 100 models and accessories by Italy’s most prominent fashion houses including Prada, Fendi, Missoni, Gucci, Pucci, Versace, Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino, as well as younger designers like Giambattista Valli and Fausto Puglisi.
The exhibition, which starts with the post WWII period, a time of great poverty, as reflected in famous Italian Neorealist films by Vittorio de Sica, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rossellini, goes on to explore how Giovanni Battista Giorgini’s early 1950’s ‘Sala Bianca’ shows that took place in Florence and featured the most promising talents of the time, aimed to help ‘rebrand’ Italy, while freeing it from Paris’ artistic influence.
Cinecittà’s role in the international promotion of Italian fashion during the 1950’s and 1960’s is also dealt with. As major Hollywood productions were shot in Rome at the time, celebrated actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, who had starred in William Wyler’s 1953 Roman Holiday and Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ 1963 Cleopatra respectively, became Italian fashion muses.
The next section is dedicated to the rising success of Italian fashion from the 1970’s and onwards, as Italy’s centuries-old craftsmanship tradition, creative know-how and ability to quickly respond to the market’s needs, led to the rise of luxury ready-to-wear.
Separate parts pay tribute to Italy’s various areas of expertise: tailoring, with key pieces like a typical Armani suit or an emblematic Max Mara coat, knitwear, with ‘stylish jumpers’, and leather, with a signature Fendi bag –the epitome of Italian elegance.
Although there are relatively few models from recent collections and each piece tells a million stories, the impressive accessories showcased, like a pair of Prada‘flame shoes’, and gorgeous models including Italian Couture gowns by Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli and Giambattista Valli among others, demonstrate Italian designers’ immense and inexhaustible creativity and love for intricate detail.
While the exhibition closes on a bittersweet note by referring to the difficulties the Italian fashion industry is currently facing, notably the competition brought by emerging countries and increasing foreign ownership, Italy remains Europe’s largest producer of clothing and textiles, while the design and production of luxury goods are still ‘made in Italy’ –a country with a cultural heritage that many would envy.