V&A Museum: The Glamour of Italian Fashion, 1945-2014
When you think of Italian fashion, what comes to mind? Leather and fur maybe? The ‘Made in Italy’ trademark or even cheap Versace replicas? Whatever Italian fashion means to you, it is undoubtedly at the core of the fashion industry.
Italy will always be the city that oozes glamour and decadence, so there can be nothing better than an exhibition that glorifies just that!
Sonnet Stanfill is the curator behind the latest instillation at the V&A – ‘The Glamour of Italian Fashion’. Her extensive research is evident in the exploration of Italian fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present day, looking at materials and techniques, as well as the influence of designers and their muses.
The layout is cleverly co-ordinated so that you travel through the decades, starting with dresses, photographs and film clips from the first fashion shows of the 1950’s held in the Sala Bianca ‘White Room’ by Giovanni Battista Giorgini. Moving through the exhibition felt like it was building to a climax and the most glamorous dress would be exclusively positioned at the end, the most beautiful that Italy has ever made. One of the dresses did appear but not in all its glory. The exhibition never built up to something miraculous, which was a great shame. The garments were exhibited in rows, one after the other, with no affiliation between them. It was, however, interesting to see the evolution of Italian accessories. To think women had such tiny feet! Although, it is hard to appreciate the intricacy and incredible hand-craftsmanship when there is, understandably, a ‘Do Not Touch’ policy.
Despite the exhibition’s visual anti-climax, there was a lot of information about Italian fashion. For example, with the backing of the American Marshall Plan, Italian industry soared and the manufacture of textiles began. From the 1950s onwards Italy became famous for the quality of its tailoring and the trim lightweight suit that appeared in ‘La Dolce Vita’ in the 1960’s.
With the industry being based in Milan, the city soon became the fashion capital and so began the ‘Made in Italy’ trademark. Couture and bespoke clothing soon became old school with the rise of ‘ready to wear’ manufactured clothing.
The designers behind ready to wear collections, such as Valentino, Missoni and Armani, became household names, mostly due to huge media coverage of Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, who was rarely seen without her Bulgari jewels. Italian designers are still highly respected for their craft even though, as Italy’s economy struggles, there is unfortunately little attention paid to an industry that can be highly profitable. It is fitting that as Italy struggles to retain its reputation for ‘glamour’, it is that exact core element that appeared to be missing from the exhibition.
Freya Pelissier