Italian fashion has always been immensely influential in terms of chic style, which has made these couture and ready-to-wear items desirable and collectable. It’s 12 February 1951 and the stage is set for an event that will transform the face of fashion forever. A select group of American buyers and journalists are gathered in attendance at a Florentine villa belonging to Count Giovanni Battista Giorgini. A handful of models – some of whom are members...
Brioni has been synonymous with style since 1945. Celebrating its 65th year of exceptional tailoring, it continues to be as simultaneously innovative and traditional as ever. The creativity involved in realising a Brioni garment is almost an art form: it takes between 18 and 22 hours to make one suit, with a different worker dedicated to each of the 220 steps required. Up to 7,000 stitches are sewn by hand for each jacket, depending on...
British couturier Alexander McQueen challenged common notions of beauty and fashion with runway collections as theatrical as they were shocking. Lights flash as women in flowing, striped burqas fly over a strip of sharp nails. This is not a scene from a surreal arthouse film, but the finale of one of Alexander McQueen’s controversial fashion shows. The political comment and sinister nature of his spring/summer 2000 show Eye was typical of McQueen: the clothes are...
