Fernanda Gattinoni dresses from 1950’s -1960’s for Italian screen legend Anna Magnani, who was known for her smoldering sexuality and ability to be “real;” I could even forgive Magnani’s hairy armpits.
You know your guy friend is playing for the other team when he is as excited about these old movie star dresses as you!
If I could live in any other time, I would have to say it would be in the 1950’s to 1960 in Rome, on the via Veneto.
Fernanda Gattinoni for Kim Novak
I would be an a hourglass vixen, with heavy eyeliner, a hot temper and smoldering sexuality in a Maserati convertible with a death-defyingly sexy man by my side. Marcello Mastroianni would be on my short list of suitors. We would be filmed, in black and white– of course– as we tried to make it past the paparazzi of the Federico Fellini “La Dolce Vita” kind.
I also had my Audrey Hepburn infatuation and almost died when I met her, but that’s another story.
So, who could possibly be as obsessed (interested?) in the allure of this period and its style more than my GBF, Richard Nahem, who once told me that I had a Kim Novak back, and I got what he meant!
Rome comes to Paris by way of the Fernanda Gattinoni Exhibit at Italian Cultural Center; Richard reports. –-S.H.
In the 50’s and 60’s Italian couturier Fernanda Gattinoni designed clothes for the biggest Hollywood and international stars including Kim Novak, Ingrid Bergman, Anouk Aimee, Bette Davis, Gina Lollobrigida, Ava Gardner, and Anna Magnani.
Fernanda Gattinoni
Right now in Paris, there’s a fantastic fashion exhibit at the Italian Cultural Center featuring the creations of legendary Italian fashion icon Fernanda Gattinoni for her international following.
Gattinoni’s atelier was located on the via Veneto in Rome and she also dressed American American society women and ambassadors wives.
It’s great to see clothes that were specifically designed for the big stars before the obsession with dressing for the red carpet.
The subtle craftsmanship, flattering cuts, muted colors, and delicate fabrics are exquisite. I love the divine little black dresses (top photo) she did for Anna Magnani, so simple and sexy.
There is a separate room in the exhibition dedicated to the stunning white empire waist dresses she designed for Audrey Hepburn for the film “War and Peace.”
Fernanda Gattinoni for Audrey Hepburn in “War and Peace”
Fernanda Gattinoni for Audrey Hepburn in “War and Peace”
Fernanda Gattinoni for Audrey Hepburn in “War and Peace”
Fernanda Gattinoni for Audrey Hepburn in “War and Peace”
It’s a must-see exhibition for anyone who appreciates the glamour of that period who understands the allure of timeless couture.— Richard Nahem, The Paris Insider
See in Paris:
Gattinoni s’expose
Runs until July 30
Italian Cultural Center
73 rue de Grenelle, 7th arr.
Metro: rue de Bac
Admission Free
Open Monday-Friday 10AM-1PM, 3PM-6PM
http://www.iicparigi.esteri.it/IIC_Parigi
Photos:eyepreferparis