Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968

Exhibition Website

Feb 2 2016 - Jun 19 2016

Exhibition explores the remarkable period of creativity in Italy that gave rise to Italian high fashion (alta moda) and was notable for extraordinary contributions in art, architecture, cinema, theater and photography. The exhibition traces the development of Italian high fashion and examines the crucial role Italy played in its international success. Bulgari has a longstanding affiliation with the worlds of fashion as well as art and is proud to present the Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968 exhibition.

Bellissima recreates the alluring atmosphere of Italian high fashion during a time when designers such as Valentino, Simonetta, Roberto Capucci, Fernanda Gattinoni, Fendi, Renato Balestra, Emilio Pucci, Fausto Sarli and many others made important contributions to the image of Italy around the world. The exhibition also highlights the fluid relationship of fashion design with art, architecture, filmmaking and theater, and explores the roles that Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice played in the production and staging of fashion during this extraordinarily creative and productive time. 

Also featured will be accessories representing the exceptional Italian craftsmanship and innovation for which the “Made in Italy” brand became known, including costume jewelry, shoes, hats and handbags by such names as Coppola e Toppo, Ferragamo, Fragiacomo, Gucci and Roberta da Camerino. One-of-a-kind jewels from the Bulgari Heritage Collections showcase the brand’s innovation and experimentation during this key period and role in establishing Italy as an international fashion capital. Among the pieces on loan for the exhibition by private collectors are iconic Serpenti creations in gold with diamonds, rubies or enamel, necklaces from the 1960s in gold with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

A special section of the exhibition that premiered during its Fall 2015 presentation at the Villa Reale in Monza, Italy, and that will be on view at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, features a unique collection of textiles that underscores the importance of the Italian textile industry in design and promotion of Italian fashion in the past as well as today. Italy’s high fashion and its textile industry are closely linked, as is evidenced in the choice of daywear, one of its most successful expressions. [..]  Textile pattern and swatch books of the various and richly colored fabrics produced by Italy’s textile factories as well as fabrics themselves will be on display, along with research materials and photographs of models wearing clothing created from them.

Credit: Exhibition overview extracted from museum website
. Please see the website for more information about the exhibition.


  • Costume
  • European
  • 20th Century
  • Design
  • Various artists

Exhibition Venues & Dates