Manchester University Press
1 Rome
Abstract
The chapter discusses the state of international fashion and its circulation in 1944, as the war slowly drew to a close. It introduces some key figures who will appear later in other chapters, such as department store director Stanley Marcus, journalists Carmel Snow, Bettina Ballard and Marya Mannes, and socialite and fashion designer Simonetta Visconti. Their relevance is discussed here in terms of their contribution to the earliest discussions of the emerging novelty of Italian fashion as it appeared in US fashion columns and magazines before the end of the war. The chapter chronicles relevant appearances and mentions of Italian fashion in American fashion magazines. It focuses on Rome as the narrative was subjected to the latest developments of the war: liberated in June 1944, Rome became the first Italian city to have a fashion scene worth mentioning. It presents a brief account of the fashion houses that continued to operate, such as Gabriellasport; contextualises them with reports from the Italian fashion magazine Bellezza, which was still linked to the Fascist administration, and the supporting fashion houses based in northern Italy; and finally outlines the tropes often used by American journalists to describe products (leather accessories and sandals), people (Italian female socialites), and their characteristics (the timeless grace of the nobility, the hardworking stamina of the artisans). This, in turn, begins the rehabilitation that Italians need as a country to emerge on the international fashion market as a solid commercial and political ally of the United States.
Abstract
The chapter discusses the state of international fashion and its circulation in 1944, as the war slowly drew to a close. It introduces some key figures who will appear later in other chapters, such as department store director Stanley Marcus, journalists Carmel Snow, Bettina Ballard and Marya Mannes, and socialite and fashion designer Simonetta Visconti. Their relevance is discussed here in terms of their contribution to the earliest discussions of the emerging novelty of Italian fashion as it appeared in US fashion columns and magazines before the end of the war. The chapter chronicles relevant appearances and mentions of Italian fashion in American fashion magazines. It focuses on Rome as the narrative was subjected to the latest developments of the war: liberated in June 1944, Rome became the first Italian city to have a fashion scene worth mentioning. It presents a brief account of the fashion houses that continued to operate, such as Gabriellasport; contextualises them with reports from the Italian fashion magazine Bellezza, which was still linked to the Fascist administration, and the supporting fashion houses based in northern Italy; and finally outlines the tropes often used by American journalists to describe products (leather accessories and sandals), people (Italian female socialites), and their characteristics (the timeless grace of the nobility, the hardworking stamina of the artisans). This, in turn, begins the rehabilitation that Italians need as a country to emerge on the international fashion market as a solid commercial and political ally of the United States.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- Acknowledgements x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Rome 11
- 2 New York 37
- 3 Florence 67
- 4 Across the United States 96
- 5 Fashion councils of Turin, Milan, and Rome 128
- 6 Florence 162
- Conclusion 199
- Bibliography 212
- Index 223
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- Acknowledgements x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Rome 11
- 2 New York 37
- 3 Florence 67
- 4 Across the United States 96
- 5 Fashion councils of Turin, Milan, and Rome 128
- 6 Florence 162
- Conclusion 199
- Bibliography 212
- Index 223
