Museum of Costume and Fashion
At Pitti Palace, a journey through the history of fashion
The Museum of Costume and Fashion (the first gallery in Italy dedicated to historical costumes, opened under the name “Costume Gallery” in 1983) is housed inside the Palazzina della Meridiana of Pitti Palace, in Florence. At the end of 2023, after three years of closure and complex refitting work, it has reopened its doors.
The Museum is a true journey through the history of fashion: an endless collection of clothing, accessories and jewelry, with more than 15 thousand pieces from the 16th century to the present day, displayed in rotation over time and grouped by type and theme.
From the funeral clothes of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Eleanor of Toledo and their son Garzia, to the costumes from the world of cinema and theater, such as the precious clothes of the famous actress Eleonora Duse (as the “kimono-cape” created for her by Mariano Fortuny), and a collection of about ninety theatrical costumes donated by the historic Tirelli Costume shop.
The collection includes several pieces realized by the most famous Italian and international fashion designers, testifying to their creative genius, as well as the evolution of taste and costumes in recent decades.
On display are the 1920s “flapper” tunic by Chanel, the evening dresses by Elsa Schiaparelli, the luxurios creations of Emilio Schubert, the tailor of divas as Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren. And also, the geometric extravagances of the dress of Patty Pravo designed in the early Eighties by Gianni Versace, the sensuality of the black corset of Jean Paul Gaultier made famous by Madonna, the dreamy clothes created by Gianfranco Ferré for Dior in the 90s.
A characteristic of the new display is the dialog between clothing and accessories and the different forms of art: fashion and painting (an encounter between garments and paintings from the same eras), fashion and plastic arts, fashion and theater, fashion and sculpture and fashion and architecture (the very furnishings and frescoes in Palazzina della Meridiana). Lastly, the use of video screens lets you make a virtual comparison between the current display and those, at Pitti Palace, of the years when Italian high fashion was establishing itself.
Information on accessibility: feelflorence.it
