Dazzling V&A show to celebrate the best of Italian style

 
6 November 2013

Elizabeth Taylor's engagement diamonds and a dress worn by Audrey Hepburn are among the glamorous items set to feature in a new V&A exhibition.

The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014, the first major exhibition on the subject, will chart the progression of design in the country.

Around 100 outfits and accessories are to go on display in the spring show, featuring the work of leading Italian fashion houses including Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Missoni, Prada, Pucci, Valentino and Versace.

It will explore how the perception of Italian fashion changed and examine the impact of Hollywood films that were shot in the country during the Fifties and Sixties, when stars such as Hepburn and Taylor acted as global ambassadors for its style.

Among the highlights will be a dress by Italian designer Gattinoni —worn by Hepburn in the 1956 film War and Peace, filmed in Italy.

Another is a spectacular Bulgari emerald necklace bought for Taylor by Richard Burton, which she wore on their wedding day.

Sonnet Stanfill, curator of 20th-century and contemporary fashion at the V&A, spent two years researching for the show.

She said it was an “ambitious” project, adding: “The exhibition is really the first of its kind to look at Italian fashion since the Second World War.”

The Italian fashion industry was a “great economic success story”, she said, as the country emerged from the struggles of war to reach the “top of the pyramid” in 20 years.

“The Italian economy is again in disarray but it seems to me the strength of Italian production still leans on expert handicraft, high quality leathers,” she said.

Another highlight is a Mila Schön dress worn by Jackie Kennedy’s sister, Princess Lee Radziwill, at American author Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball, hailed the “party of the decade”.

Martin Roth, director of the V&A, said: “I am thrilled to be celebrating Italy’s immense contribution to the international fashion world.”

The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014, sponsored by Bulgari, runs from April 5 to July 27 2014 at the V&A. Tickets now available at vam.ac.uk

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