Emilio Federico Schuberth (1904–1972) was an Italian fashion designer, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Schuberth was called the "tailor of the stars", and his work was loved by many international celebrities like Princess Soraya of Iran, Rita Hayworth,

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

, Bette Davis, Brigitte Bardot, Sofia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida and Anna Magnani.

Early life and education

He was born as Federico Emilio Schuberth on 8 June 1904 in the

Vicaria Vicaria ( it, residence of the Viceroy), often known as Il Vasto, is one of the 30 '' quartieri'' of Naples, southern Italy, lying immediately to the east of the historical city centre (''Centro storico''). It borders the districts of Poggiore ...

neighborhood of Naples in Campania, Italy to parents Gotthelf and Fortura Vittozzi. There were myths around his birth occurring in a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

castle which were untrue, however his father Gotthelf was Saxon. His mother Fortura was Spanish. He is said to have studied Painting at the

Academy of Fine Arts in Naples The Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli (Naples Academy of Fine Arts) is a university-level art school in Naples. In the past it has been known as the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti and the Reale Accademia di Belle Arti. Founded by King Charles VII o ...

, before pursuing fashion. In 1929 he married Maria Jelasi and together they moved to Rome where he apprenticed as a tailor at Montorsi tailor's workshop. Together the couple had two daughters. In 1938, Schuberth opened a small millinery only designing couture hats and nothing ready-made, located on Via Frattina near the Spanish Steps in Rome. One of his hat clients was countess Ratti, a nephew of Pius XI, who suggested he open an atelier for women fashion serving the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

. Early work from his fashion house he primarily offered knit separates ensembles for coastal vacations, and pared-down evening wear.

History

Cocktail dress by Emilio Schuberth, c1961

In 1940 he established his own company, "Schuberth Emilio" located on via Lazio n. 9, however because of the popularity he moved locations within the same year to via XX Settembre n. 4, where his atelier remained. The inside of the atelier was designed and decorated similarly to the Parisian ateliers. His clothing highlighted ''la bella figura,'' the Italian feminine ideal of “sensuality, grace, and love of leisure,” which was a popular

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...

during the 1950s and often seen in Italian cinema from the postwar-era. His popularity as a designer grew starting around December 1948 during the fashion show, ''French Fashion? Italian fashion'' at Casino de la Vallée in Saint-Vincent, Aosta Valley, Italy where he displayed his clothing alongside french designer

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

and Dior d'Italia'. The historic debut of Italian fashion happened on February 12, 1951, at

Villa Torrigiani The Villa Torrigiani is located in the hamlet of Camigliano, a town in Capannori (Lucca). It is a historical villa, dating from the second half of the sixteenth century. History The first mention of the villa dates back to 1593, as belonging to ...

the Florence home of

Giovanni Battista Giorgini Giovanni Battista Giorgini, nicknamed Bista (Forte dei Marmi, 25 August 1898 - Florence, 2 January 1971), was an Italian entrepreneur and member of the Giorgini family. Early life and family Giovanni Battista Giorgini was a member of the Giorgini ...

, where Schuberth's apparel designs were in attendance. Eventually this exposure lead to international buyers. In 1953, he founded with many famous fashion designers including Alberto Fabiani, Vincenzo Ferdinandi,

Sorelle Fontana Sorelle Fontana (literally "Fontana Sisters", also known as "Sorelle Fontana, Alta Moda SRL") is an Italian fashion house, specializing in production of high-fashion couture. It was founded in Rome in 1943 by three sisters and Italian designers: ...

, Jole Veneziani, Giovannelli-Sciarra, Mingolini-Guggenheim, Eleanora Garnett and Simonetta Colonna di Cesarò, the S.I.A.M. - Italian High Fashion Syndicate. In 1955, he designed the wedding dress and trousseau of Maria Pia of Savoy, an Italian princess and daughter of King Humbert II.

Death and legacy

He died from a heart attack in his home in Rome at the age of 67, on 5 January, 1972. As a master of Italian fashion, his students included Valentino, and Roberto Capucci. Schuberth's designs are held in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

Notes

External links

Emilio Schuberth Official Site
(English)
Emilio Schuberth collection
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Schuberth, Emilio Fashion designers from Rome 1972 deaths 1950s fashion Businesspeople from Naples 1904 births