The Fashion Businesscompetition with France. There followed a period of intense deliberation
amongst the three Fontana sisters (Sorelle Fontana), before the final decision
to take part was reached. According to Fontana, this was the precise moment
when Italian style emerged on the international stage.
Nonetheless, it should not be assumed that all Italian couturiers suddenly
forgot Paris and designed entirely independently thereafter. There was no
abrupt break from Paris style at couture level, and adherence to the general
seasonal stylistic prescriptions of Paris continued throughout the 1950s and
early 1960s. The move away from Paris gathered momentum from 1951,
but it was not consistent at all levels of production and with all designers
and was seen less in terms of silhouette than in use of colour, fabric and
surface decoration. However, it is significant that the links between Italian
designers and Paris fashion (which were stressed in the Italian fashion press
before 1951) are difficult to find after this date.
Deviations from French dictates can be detected not only through innova-
tions mentioned in media coverage, but also through analysis of individual
surviving garments and amalgamated testimonies of witnesses to the early
collections. Carla Strini, for example, was Head of Emilio Pucci’s foreign
operations and attended the very first collective show. She remembers the
embroideries, fabrics and colours especially vividly, and says, for example,
that ‘the colours were very striking, especially the soft pastels of green and
aqua which was very unusual’.^18 Micol Fontana recalls particularly that
‘Italian couture was simpler in line than the French. Draping good quality
soft materials was an important part of this, but the real secret was in hidden
construction; the garments were very carefully cut, and this was not shown.’^19
These key points can be illustrated through examination of extant garments.
Italian evening wear was the most important export sector of Italian couture
in this period, and typically followed the French lines of Dior’s sharp New
Look. However, there are few surviving Italian creations as extreme as most
Paris designs, and the following examples represent the typically moderated
Italian interpretation. The first example is a startling scarlet gown designed
by Fontana in 1953, in draped soft crepe chiffon, with a simple, curvaceous
silhouette, exactly in line with Fontana’s recollections (figure 11.1).^20
According to Micol Fontana, it was vital that the gown fitted the individual
body perfectly without discomfort. The structure is very intricate, with a
firmly boned silk underbodice.
- Carla Strini in interview, near Florence, 18.10.95.
- Micol Fontana in interview, Rome, 23.10.95.
- Held at the Fontana archive, Rome, number n.17/F 1953. Label reads ‘Sorelle Fontana
Roma’.