Italian fashion - which encompasses designers and companies from Armani toZegna has become a dominant force in the fashion world. This stunning book discusses the rise of Italian fashion since 1945, the development of the Italian Look from the late 1970s to the present, and the many great designers who have contributed to Italys fashion triumphs.

This book is the catalogue for an exhibition, sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission, at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City from February 11, 2003 through April 12. 2003.

Italian fashion - which encompasses designers and companies from Armani toZegna has become a dominant force in the fashion world. This stunning book discusses the rise of Italian fashion since 1945, the development of the Italian Look from the late 1970s to the present, and the many great designers who have contributed to Italys fashion triumphs.

Valerie Steele describes how Florence, Rome. and later Milan all became important fashion centers, and how other Italian cities play specific roles within the countrys fashion system. She explains the tradition of classic mens tailoring, the importance of accessories, the special connection between textile production and fashion, and the reasons why different regions of Italy specialize in different fabrics or goods. And she analyzes the integration of the various sectors of the fashion industry, a uniquely Italian model quite different from those found in France, Britain, or the United States. Written in Steeles lively style and lavishly illustrated with photographs of fashion ensembles, runway shots, advertising images, and more. this book is the first to celebrate Italian fashion in its many guises.

This book is the catalogue for an exhibition, sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission, at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City from February 11, 2003 through April 12. 2003.

Acknowledgements 

Foreword

Fashion, Italian Style

From the Roman Empire to the Venetian Republic 

Art and Industry in the Early Twentieth Century 

The "Birth" of Italian Fashion at the Sala Bianca in Florence 

Italy Changes the Way the World Looks 

La Dolce Vita, or Rome Triumphant 

The Continental Look 

New Directions in Italian Fashion