The much-loved Fashion Museum at Palazzo Pitti has reopened to the public in its entirety after being closed for almost five years.

Visitors are now enticed by eight rooms displaying 60 looks and numerous accessories dating from the 18th to the early 21st century in a fully reworked staging of the gallery’s permanent collection. For the first time in the history of the museum, the visit observes a chronological order alongside paintings from the Uffizi Galleries, which have been carefully chosen to act as a counterpoint to the fashion creations. Art lovers will be mesmerized by the great 18th- and early 19th-century portraitists such as Carle Vanloo, Laurent Pecheux and Jean-Sébastien Rouillard, Clemente Alberi and Giuseppe Colzi de’ Cavalcanti as well as elegant late 19th-century portraits by Tito Conti, Edoardo Gelli and Vittorio Corcos.


One of the star attractions, a needlework gown by pioneering New York seamstress Catherine Donovan is complimented by Giovanni Boldini’s captivating canvas titled Women in White, while a black-and-white themed room sees Valentino alongside an impressive two-tone artwork by Alberto Burri. Attention is drawn to the history of courtwear, the shift from restricted to freer forms as well as day and wedding gowns down the ages. Stepping into the 20th-century, fashion enthusiasts cannot help but marvel at the cobalt and olive tunics by Fortuny, while the next room highlights the dropped waist before the eye drifts to the pink sequinned outfit once worn by Franca Florio.
Remembering Italy’s first fashion show held in the Sala Bianca in 1952, the flamboyant evening dresses of Elsa Schiaparelli shine in the limelight, as do Emilio Schubert’s regal confections. Towards the end of the museum itinerary, make sure you don’t miss the genius of Gucci gowns and Versace’s black sheath made famous by Madonna, oddly tucked away in a side room.
Plus, there is an opportunity for fashion collectors and houses to get involved with the future development of the museum. “The Fashion Museum at Palazzo Pitti needs to become encyclopedic in terms of its completeness and quality, which is why we welcome donations from the fashion industry, a number of whose representatives are here today,” remarked Simone Verde, the director of the Uffizi Galleries, which also manages Palazzo Pitti.