La Galleria del Costume in Florence is one of
the best fashion museums throughout Italy. Their costumes exposed are silent
witnesses to the history of fashion. Within the impressive framework of the
Palazzo Pitti, we can guess how was the life like in its halls and rooms a long
time ago.
One of the costumes exhibited that caught
more our attention is the Delphos dress. We have studied, observed and admired
it countless times in the pages of magazines and fashion books but have it a
few meters from you is an indescribable feeling. Created by Mariano Fortuny
Madrazo in 1907 is one of the greatest works of art in the history of fashion.
This finely pleated silk dress, frees women
from the corset oppression of the last
centuries and wraps visually her delicate figure as a Greek goddess. The
secrecy about the true making of this dress is a mystery, is the legend of the
Delphos.
Picture Credits: Personal Picture from La Galleria del Costume Firenze / Mrs. Condé - Nast in a Delphos dress. Wikipedia
One of Fortuny´s hallmark was that he
personally dyed the fabrics in different iridescent and attractive colors. When
he died his widow Henrriette threw all writings with the secret formulas to the
Venice canals with the purpose that nobody could replay the Delphos dress in
the future. After several researches and investigations even today has not been
able to reproduce the same colors as the original dresses. Mariano Fortuny also
created a new marketing strategy: To prove the Authenticity of the dresses,
they were sold in cardboard boxes and wrapped in tissue paper with a seal
certifying its authenticity.
Other dresses that caught our attention
more to have been an "Evening Dress" of Roberto Capucci in 1982,
black and white duo brings elegance and sophistication and the exquisite
volumes remind us of the latest collection by Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2013.
A stunning wedding dress 1862 from United
Kingdom presides one of the rooms of the museum and impresses all visitors.
The ruffled skirt is wide and with overlapping
layers. The dresses in this era get this desired effect adding lots of
petticoats, but its weight becomes unbearable, consequently in 1856 are
replaced by the crinoline, a petticoat with flexible rings.
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