Sorelle Fontana: fashion that made history
The exhibition is devoted to the activities of the Fontana Sisters' Roman atelier during the second half of the XX Century and features a targeted selection of thirty-four dresses tailored between 1940 and 1990.
The creation of Linda Christian's wedding dress, from the skilled hands of the Sorelle Fontana, in 1949, for the celebration of her marriage with Tyrone Power in the church of Santa Francesca Romana in Rome, marks the beginning of Made in Italy. Three young refined artisans from Traversetolo in the province of Parma: Zoe, Giovanna and Micol Fontana, with their roman atelier in via di San Sabastianello, soon became the international point of reference for High Fashion.
The exhibition, promoted by the Comune di Roma in celebration of Micol Fontana's ninetieth birthday, presents a selection of some of the most significant fashion creations by the Sorelle Fontana from 1949 through 1991.
These gowns and outfits were designed for women who have stoodout in the history of the 20th century: princesses, noblewomen, show business personalities and women of culture such as; Soraya, Grace of Monaco, Jaqueline Kennedy, Gioia Marconi, Marella Agnelli, Palma Bucarelli, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and other celebrities. Amongst the selection there are several models from the 50's notably tied to the history of cinema: the well known "cassock" dress created for Ava Gardner and then worn by Anita Ekberg in Federico Fellini's "La dolce vita", the gowns created for Michelangelo Antonioni's "Le Amiche", and Ava Gardner in "The barefoot contessa" by Mankievwicz.
The relationship between fashion and contemporary art is reflected in two original dresses from the late 50's realized with printed fabrics designed by Nuvolo and Fantuzzi.
The Micol Fontana Foundation, curator of the exhibition, as well as preserving and maintaining the creations and designs of the Sorelle Fontana, has been committed for many years in the promotional sector of initiatives favouring the formation and specialization of young designers, also in collaboration with the Fulbright Commission and the Comune di Roma.
