Sala Bianca

When, on 22 July 1952, the doors of the Sala Bianca of the Pitti Palace were thrown open to welcome buyers and journalists for the first time to see the fashion shows in Florence, Italian fashion was not being officially baptized but entering its fourth incarnation. In just two years it had acquired, under the watchful eyes of international observers, unique special characteristics that made it a product, or rather a collection of products, of extreme interest. The date is recorded in the history books because from that point on the venue and the collections presented there were closely connected. Even today the Sala Bianca remains synonymous with Italian style. The following ingenious intuition was the key to its success: if fashion was only an image, it was essential that this image was constructed and presented in a form that was consistent with the values that it was meant to be representing. Creativity, originality, and the subtleties of Italian design — endorsed and mirrored in the organization of the shows — spread through the world from the Sala Bianca in the heart of Florence. It paved the way for an economic phenomenon of far wider proportions and much greater consequence. It created an aura of prestige which spread from fashion to all goods that were made in Italy, making them famous and sought after across the world. It was a private individual, Giovanni Battista Giorgini, who started off this incredible story. In February 1951, he succeeded in organizing, with surprising ability and daring, a completely original fashion show for a few American buyers and their clients to whom were then presented all sorts of other products. It was not the first time that the creations of Italian dressmakers had been presented on official runways. However, it was absolutely the first time that a fashion show, presented as purely Italian, was staged exclusively for foreign buyers and journalists. There were only a few of them, but they were of great importance and their opinion could be either a death penalty or a life-line. Their approval opened the door to immediate success which grew from year to year under the management and direction of Giorgini. None of this overwhelming climb to success was left to chance or spontaneity, but was built up, show after show, with an amazing clarity of vision in the choice of how to reach such heights. The type of collections, the way they were presented, the production of the first show revealed a winning formula, which the following shows, organized by Giorgini until Spring 1965, went on to perfect. Starting with an initial concept, all the others followed from the same idea: the desire to establish a modern, efficient, and creative Italy. Perhaps because fashion was not his foremost interest, Giorgini knew how to extract from it a product/image whose full potential could be exploited, using it for ends that went way beyond the world of fashion itself. Fashion had always been, for everyone and everywhere, synonymous only with Paris. Setting out to vie with such competition was pure madness: the Italian fashion product distinguished itself by presenting different and original characteristics that could reach a new and much wider section of the market. It had to prove itself to potential buyers as something that was worth the risk of investment. As a result of the show’s production and the type of designs that were first shown on that famous occasion (on 12 February 1951), it was immediately clear to the sceptical audience that a new and very different Italian fashion existed.As there were only a few tailors and a few models, Giorgini decided to group them by type of clothing rather than the traditional way of grouping them by the name of the designer. This meant that their distinctiveness was confirmed and enhanced by the proximity of being shown in succession. He began by showing the outfits from the fashion boutiques, intended to be worn in people’s free time, for sport and on informal occasions. This was a type of fashion that had not been presented in Paris and therefore comparisons could not be drawn with sophisticated French fashions. The clothes were upbeat, unexpected and youthful, the colors surprisingly jubilant, the quality impressive and the prices very attractive. In this environment, boutique wear was the winning card, clearly demonstrating the existence of an independent and original Italian fashion scene. The opening days of successive shows were always reserved for boutique wear. It had sold well until then and would continue to do so; however, if the Italian product/image was to take a leading role, it had to so in the world of haute couture, where creativity and novelty are combined with refined elegance.The fashion houses that were invited to show at the Florentine runways were not chosen by chance, but rather for their unique qualities and ability to stand out from French fashion. Giorgini’s ability to spot the type of features that would be seen as highly original and complete winners probably came from his knowledge of the American market. America was the mirror of the future that was awaiting Italy. Most women worked and were forced to spend the whole day from dawn until dusk away from home, using public transport, and as a result their fashion requirements were less demanding. They — and soon women from all over the world — needed clothes that were less sophisticated than those designed by the Paris tailors and more suited to an active lifestyle. It was therefore the moment to introduce an elegance that played on clean and quintessential lines, on cut, on top quality materials that could keep their perfect shape over time. These were the features of Italian design that stood out to the buyers right from the first show in February 1951. Presented by Giorgini, it was confirmed on their agenda that Italian collections, receiving international attention for the first time, translated the heritage of the Renaissance artistic tradition into line, cut, and wearability. Complete with all the elements on which the image of Italian fashion is methodically built up, the message was wholeheartedly and instantly assimilated by the buyers and circulated by the press in the intended way. The statement that Italian fashion was the fruit of its artistic tradition was far from a casual comment; it played a decisive role in constructing the image. It was not a verifiable fact, like cut or wearability; instead it was presented as the irrefutable truth, an axiom, a priority category, which enriched the actual features of the product with a significance and quite different quality. The statement became an incisive and efficient way of foregrounding the idea that creativity was a gift peculiar to the Italian spirit. Art had always been associated with generating the new and the beautiful, revealing the unexpected that had never been seen before. The custom of living in a city full of art, in direct contact with works of great value, without the museum acting as an intermediary, inevitably produces an aesthetic taste for refinement. All Florentines, particularly fashion designers, cannot help but be artists. In practice, it was being implied that Italian fashion was an art form of the most modern and topical type. Creativity was conveying a multifaceted message that resonated throughout the huge clothing industry, from haute couture to accessories. It justified an infinite diversity of products of both functional and aesthetic form in order to satisfy new and hidden market demands. In haute couture this was noticeable in the line and cut of the garments, in the beauty of the fabrics and in the type of decoration; in the less exacting field of boutique wear, it was noticeable in the unexpected and continuous innovation of function, form, decoration, and materials. The first and most loyal group of tailors that Giorgini had gathered was already demonstrating a varied and versatile creative ability: fresh refinement from Simonetta, spectacular design by Schuberth and formal rigour from Germana Marucelli. Good taste, moderation and a sense of proportion — part of the aesthetic heritage of the Renaissance — were soon recognized as the most important features of Italian dressmaking. Cleanliness of line, which came to represent the utmost elegance, was combined with very precise tailoring and perfect, but not excessively complicated, cuts. The simplicity of line helped to highlight the beauty of the embroidery and the materials, which were often the truly innovative part of the design. The quality of the dressmaking and the beauty of the materials pleased buyers from the most prestigious department stores, who had to satisfy the demanding tastes of their top clients who were used to the charms of Paris. The quintessential line, however, attracted a different category of buyer, dressmakers, who, having bought a prototype could copy and remake the design without too much difficulty. Even more openly than for haute couture, boutique and leisure wear — the real novelty of the Florentine runways of international acclaim — played the originality card by creating surprising juxtapositions of ideas and by their use of materials. The variety of types of garments that were proposed as boutique wear matched the equally varied demands of the market and was already proof of a multitalented creativity. A less showy but very important area owed its success to its revolutionary combination of style and practicality. It was the answer to the problems of so many women who were busy at work all day and needed elegant clothes, which were nevertheless informal, crease-proof, and suitable for wearing for hours at a time without seeming ostentatious. Avolio’s silk raincoats and the gorgeous Mirsa knitwear — which could be worn in an infinite number of ways at any time of day or on any occasion — were designed for just such women. The most explosive ideas that were most eagerly written about by the press were the outfits in boutique wear intended for leisure wear, as they were the most unpredictable and therefore the most keenly awaited. The fact that many of the clothes were designed to be worn at the weekend or on holiday provided limitless scope for invention. The postwar atmosphere was characterized by a need for fun and for asserting vitality and was therefore open to fashions that were playful, joyous, youthful, colourful, and energetic. Increasing affluence meant that the frequency of such events increased to cater for audiences from ever wider social classes, clearly indicating as early as the 1950s the future success of these types of clothes. Pucci astonished audiences with his revolutionary combinations of colors; Bertoli with his creations with ribbons, paillettes, and braids; the Tessitrice dell’Isola, Myricae, Valditevere, Scarabocchio, Baldini, Falconetto, and others with their woven, hand printed and hand painted fabrics. Weaving by hand meant that unusual threads and materials could be used, such as ribbons and paillettes, and the very famous printed patterns by designers such as Pucci, Roberta di Camerino, Falconetto, and Ken Scott were of outstanding and often exceptional quality. Trompe-l’oeil effects were sought after; the vast repertoire of folkloric traditions were employed; scales were transposed so that little botanical details were reproduced on a huge scale; and meanings were subverted so that everyday or decorative objects became decorative motifs. Handcrafted fabrics, embroidery, or appliqué using paillettes, semi-precious stones, and shells meant that Italian garments were often unable to be copied by foreign dressmakers and elevated them to a position where they were above competition, carving themselves a special niche somewhere between haute couture and mass-produced clothes. Besides, they demonstrated and extolled the incredible refinement of Italy’s artisan abilities and broached the idea of artistic expression as a form of joyous creativity. These multiple features that were peculiar to boutique wear and dressmaking immediately became a reality from the very first Florentine runway shows. It was a good way of presenting them, but did not fulfil the initial aim of the shows that Giorgini had intended. The sum total of a number of different, even if very rich, single ideas, would not automatically have generated that key and fundamental concept of creativity as a special skill of the Italians, as their innate disposition from which burst continuous and multiple ideas and beautiful forms. On their own, they would not have been able to promote other types of production. It was necessary to create a single matrix which continually referred to that overarching concept of Italian-ness characterized by its historic and artistic traditions. A constant stream of intelligent promotional events was dedicated to achieving this task. It was also important that the dressmaking workshops always presented themselves exclusively as vital parts of a single body; this was a task for individuals, but also reliant on the way that the shows were presented and organized. All the key players of the Sala Bianca were called upon to help create this vision of a country made up of very rich and fertile soil, where the ability to create beauty and the outburst of vitality were not and would never be a chance phenomenon. The framework and associated events that took place alongside the Florence fashion shows reflected and helped to reinforce the ideal of continuity between the artistic production of the past and of the present. The photographs that were circulated to the press to publish, and the filmed revivals were always historically oriented. Behind the models was a backdrop showing glimpses of Florentine views, statues, and monuments of Florence, the Boboli gardens, or the inside of centuries-old palaces. The very fact that the shows took place in the most beautiful hall of a famous palace, with its imposing but balanced proportions and its delicate stucco decoration, created an atmosphere that impressed the audience, creating a sense of expectation and gently encouraging people to make connections between the elegance of the past and that of today. The whole of the rest of the city served to reinforce the idea that art for the Italians is like the air that they breathe or the milk that has nourished them. In this sense, Florence was the perfect city to frame the events. Giorgini tended to organize the balls that ended the fashion shows in places of outstanding beauty that were little known to foreign guests, such as the Boboli gardens, the Torre del Gallo ad Arcetri, or the Belvedere Fort. From 1953, a second historic focal point for the fashion shows was created, as well as the Pitti Palace: the Strozzi Palace became the place where negotiations were held between buyers and dressmakers. Famous antique dealers furnished the most prized rooms for the occasion, creating an office/drawing room for all of the dressmakers in which they could do business with their clients, making them feel like guests in a stately and very elegant residence. Here clients could feel with their own hands the quality of the materials, see outfits that had not been part of the runway shows, agree prices, and delivery dates. A series of historical/promotional exhibitions was conceived in the early years to reinforce the idea that the roots of Italian fashion were steeped in a magnificent past. One of them was the ceremony that recalled the wedding of Eleonora de’ Medici and Francesco Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua, which was performed by Florentine aristocrats in January 1953. Another was the exhibition of dresses and fashion sketches held at Palazzo Strozzi in January 1956. And yet another was the grand display of historical costumes which was the forerunner to the Italian fashion show at the Festival of Italy in Philadelphia in March 1961. In less than ten years, Italian fashion had managed to construct a self-image from all of these ideas that rivalled that of Paris fashion. The French were forced to admit, resentfully, that Florence was a new fashion capital. The prestige that had been created by Italian fashion spread to all Italian products from handcrafted objects to industrial design; it spread from fashion to everything that was designed and manufactured in Italy. The characteristics of Italian textiles celebrated in the outfits were the connecting link that made the transition possible: the artisan made his masterpieces by hand thanks to his raw material, fabric, which was by contrast an industrial product. Italian silks, wools, and cottons immediately became the most prized in the world and were publicised by various promotional events. They had the same aesthetic quality, novelty and originality that could be found in Italian clothes sold to markets abroad. They were often products that were new to the market in terms of their mixes, colors, and finishing. They knew how to be elegant, fun, or practical depending on the type of design or market. They were an eloquent testimony to technological knowledge and a modern entrepreneurial ability that fed off that same formula of a culture able to generate new works of art. By drawing on historical and artistic tradition and by combining the creativity of Italian dressmakers with that of the textile industries, Giorgini replaced the image of Italy as full of folklore and good will with an image of Italy as a nation of creative and brilliant people. More than just fashion, Giorgini had persuaded people to buy into the unlikely union of intelligence, refinement, and joie de vivre. His organization of the shows and, above all, his innovative formula aimed to provide concrete evidence of all of the key themes and qualities inherent in Italian fashion. The first fundamental concept was the common matrix of creativity, the idea that all dressmakers, each with his own distinctive style, was drawing inspiration from the same sublime artistic tradition. A symbol of this was the Sala Bianca as the only platform. Despite the practical demands of the buyers, for whom every minute mattered, Giorgini appreciated that gathering together a number of different dressmakers under a single roof would save the buyers’ energy and time, making them better disposed towards Italian fashion. If novelty, practicality, and sharpness were the trademarks of Italian fashion, these should be reflected in the presentation of the designs as well. During a stay of just a few days in Florence, the buyers could get an overview of collections by dressmakers in various cities without the hassle of having to travel around visiting different locations. Instead they were offered a warm and personal welcome with parties and entertainments organized to provide a break from their heavy work schedule. It was a new formula for showing fashion to an international audience and was immediately greeted with approval. The fact that the Florentine runway was shared meant that it had to be selective; only the crème de la crème of those who were impervious to the French influence were invited and from their collections only a few items were shown and exposed to the public’s judgement. The haute couture houses did not show more than sixty outfits, but as the boutiques were many more numerous they only got to show between 15 and 20 designs. For the dressmakers, these figures were feasible — especially when compared to the Paris runway shows and to those weighing up their creative abilities — but for the journalists, the numbers were still too high. They pointed out that there were generally fairly few innovative ideas in a collection and showing so many designs from the same house risked repeating them and making them seem boring. Besides in Palazzo Strozzi, the negotiating base, every dressmaker could show buyers as many variations as he wanted without taking anything away from the liveliness of the fashion show. The platform of the Sala Bianca, the emblem of a unique Italian fashion, should not, according to Giorgini, promote just a few dressmakers but should serve the interests of all dressmakers who should each be given equal space, opportunity, and means for making themselves stand out and be sufficiently appreciated. Unfortunately, not all of the houses understood the importance of maintaining a united front. The history of the Sala Bianca is punctuated by betrayals, defections, escapes, and regrets. Not only was the shared platform deeply unsatisfactory for some single-minded dressmakers, but it subjected everyone to a hotly contested and cruel comparison; and yet on the other hand it was a source of great stimulation. To be the first or last obviously had its disadvantages, particularly the last, as by then the buyers had already bought a lot from their competitors. A good rule seemed to be to rotate the combinations and juxtaposition of houses for each show. The overall organization of the event, which lasted on average four days, began with millinery displays and gained momentum, like a performance. Every detail and every moment was carefully planned, so that everything flowed smoothly along the tracks of elegance, class, and efficiency. No one show was allowed to repeat its predecessor; each one had to astound and get audiences talking about the people involved, the initiatives, and the unexpected ideas. The buyers had always to have something new to discover and purchase, and the journalists had to have something to write about: “Paris is the springboard for new lines, Florence for ideas.” Presenting new young brands was an essential component and one of the most eagerly awaited. The most famous dressmaker discovered by Giorgini was definitely Capucci, but he certainly was not the only one. Many dressmaking workshops, some already flourishing, took that important leap forward of breaking into the international market having been invited to show at the Sala Bianca. Sarli, Enzo, Centinaro, Baratta, De Luca, De Barentzen, Mingolini-Guggenheim, Galitzine, Lancetti, Forquet, Balestra, Valentino, Mila Schön, Krizia and others made their decisive breakthrough on to the international arena in Florence. New brands were sometimes introduced in a particular way, either in a youth/veteran juxtaposition at the Sala Bianca or with a day dedicated just to them. Among the many different initiatives that were introduced into the fashion show calendar, great care was taken over those that presented branches of Italian production that the audience did not yet know about. Many products that were publicized in this way went on to become so important that they soon required their own specialist shows and buyers, with their own calendar and venue where they were presented. This was the case with fabrics, leather goods, shoes, knitwear, menswear, and children’s wear. From the platform of the Sala Bianca, the following made their debut on to the markets: fabrics and menswear in 1952; children’s wear in 1954 together with designs by Antonelli Sport; leather goods in 1955; mass-produced clothes in 1956; teenagers’ fashions in 1962 with the romantic creations of Wanda Roveda; women’s underwear in 1964 designed by Irene Galitzine. Together with new lines, such as the “pannocchia” (corn cob) line by Marucelli, the “palloncino” (balloon) collection by Simonetta, or new models for formal clothes, such as the palazzo pants by Galitzine, the continuous presentation of new areas of production served to reinforce the idea of Italian fashion as a source of perpetual creativity. Contemporaneous to the runway shows at the Pitti Palace, they set up exhibitions of the best of Italian production in accessories, jewelry, shoes and bags in the reception rooms of the Grand Hotel di Firenze. As these exhibitions were by no means of secondary importance in comparison with the main runway events, their opening was part of the official program and had the air of a society event. In fact it was an essential part of the itinerary for both the buyers and the press, who were guided towards pleasing discoveries, which translated into important purchases or articles in newspapers throughout the world. The ingenuity of these ideas meant that the prestige spread rapidly of an increasingly clear image of Italian fashion that had been won; this can be seen in the export figures. These soared vertiginously in the space of a few years, and included products that had never before been seen as particularly important, such as buttons and gloves. But the most important products to be launched into the international arena were obviously Italian fabrics, which is what Giorgini had intended as he saw the textile industry as the natural sponsor of fashion shows. Italian fabrics were the heart of promotional initiatives with their own formula, which anticipated the coupling of some fashion houses with important names in the textile industry, the most famous silk factories of Como, la Rivetti Lini and wools, the cotton mills Val di Susa and Legla, La Rhodiatoce and others. From 1952 until 1954, each display launched a particular type of Italian fabric. There was another important category of entrepreneurs, besides the textile industries, that Giorgini wanted to get involved with the Sala Bianca: those manufacturing ready-to-wear garments. Alongside the textile manufacturers, they were always invited to the Florentine evenings. Even if Giorgini had originally envisaged an image of Italian fashion in terms of haute couture, he had always known that the future lay with ready-to-wear. Haute couture was the means of opening the door, but its days were numbered. The improvements in the quality of design, cut and materials used in ready-to-wear were crucial to the development of this side of the industry and, consequently, for the textile industry too, which could certainly not survive on the sales they made to the big fashion houses. Ready-to-wear was obviously the product/fashion that had potential to develop but it was necessary to get their first, before the French. By the time in 1965 that Giorgini, tired and embittered from too many quarrels, abandoned his leadership of the Florentine runway shows, which continued until 1982, the new trends in production were already clearly defined. The magical aura of the Sala Bianca from then on slowly diminished. But that was not true of the image of Italian fashion that he had created, which continued along the path of success, strong and footsure, without needing the support of any father figure or guardian.