Italian Fashion and Culture Post 6

On Thursday, our group was able to visit the Gucci Museum. The Museum is brand new and in close proximity to the school, in Piazza della Signoria. The museum is not arranged by date, but rather by the themes and uses of the pieces displayed. It showed the extensive things that the Gucci company was involved with, everything from clothing to saddles to picnic baskets to scuba equipment. The company seemed very focused on providing its customers with everything they might need for whatever their lifestyle required.
I enjoyed getting to see the Gucci red carpet gowns in person, being able to get very close to see the details. They of course photograph beautifully, but it is nothing to seeing them in person. I can't even imagine wearing one. The museum was very well laid out and allowed you to get very close to the pieces, which was great because most of them are very detailed, including their floral print scarves. It was great to see the evolution of Gucci as a company, because it is a very intriguing brand.

Italian Fashion and Culture Post 5

This week we were able to visit the Costume Museum in Pitti Palace, which has been one of my favorite site visits so far. The museum is part of the extensive Pitti Palace museums and is where the first fashion shows in Italy were held, in the Sala Bianca. They have an extensive collection of garments that cycles in and out frequently. They have historic garments juxtaposed with modern garments in order to see the progress of fashion as well as its influences and roots in the past.
I greatly enjoyed getting to see different garments on display, including the outfits from the tombs of Cosimo and Eleanora de Medici. The way they displayed the modern garments with their historic inspirations was also very interesting to me as a designer. I always like using historic inspirations for my designs, so it was great to see how others interpret them.

Italian Fashion and Culture Post 4

This week we got to visit the Capucci Foundation Museum. Located on the other side of the Arno and tucked away along a narrow road leading up a hill, the Roberto Capucci Foundation Museum is part of the Villa Bardini, which includes several other small museums. Capucci, whose work spans from the 50s to the present, is an immensely talented Italian designer whose garments have a very detailed and sculptural appearance.
In the museum, we were able to see a variety of Capucci garments. He uses a variety of techniques including pleating, tucks, and cut-outs in order to achieve his desired look. His focus was from the perspective of an artist and a sculptor rather than a dressmaker. We were also able to see many of Capucci's sketches, which were quite detailed and beautiful.