Becoming couture is the first book to examine the history of the Italian fashion industry during the global transition brought about by the Second World War. It draws on a wide range of primary sources, some of them newly unearthed, to demonstrate that the Italian fashion industry in the Republican era continued to rely on business practices and professionals established during Fascism. Analysing changes in promotional discourses and press coverage, the book traces the shift that occurred when manufacturers were encouraged to expand their exports of accessories to include sportswear, knitwear and
moda boutique. This ultimately led to the legitimisation of Italian dressmaking as creatively independent of French influences and therefore worthy of the label ‘couture’.
Table of Content
Introduction
1 Rome: new standards of fashion
2 New York: from handicrafts to fashion
3 Florence: old culture and new commerce
4 Across the United States: Italy at Work
5 Fashion councils of Turin, Milan, and Rome
6 Florence: a new experience of couture
Conclusion
Index
About the author
Chiara Faggella is a fashion historian and a Lecturer at Syracuse University, Florence and Lund University.
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