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: Zoe Fontana (1911-1979), Micol Fontana (1913-2015) and Giovanna Fontana (1915-2004).

History

Born in

Traversetolo Traversetolo (Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about south of Parma. Traversetolo borders the following municipalities: Canossa, Lesig ...

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, the three Fontana sisters started working as dressmakers with their mother at a very young age. They moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1933 where they worked as apprentices in other tailoring and sewed clothes at home. In 1907, the sisters inherited their grandmother's tailoring atelier. In 1943, the sisters founded a high fashion atelier in Via Liguria initially inspired by

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 ...

's New Look. The turning point of their career happened in 1949, when

Linda Christian Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...

bought a Sorelle Fontana dress for her wedding with

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

. From then on the Sorelle Fontana brand gradually raised in the international jet set. The sisters dressed many celebrities and several heads of state, including

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

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Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

, Queen Soraya,

Infanta Beatriz of Spain Infanta Beatriz of Spain, Princess of Civitella-Cesi (''Beatriz Isabel Federica Alfonsa Eugénie Cristina Maria Teresia Bienvenida Ladislàa de Borbón y Battenberg''; 22 June 1909 – 22 November 2002) was a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain ...

Frederica of Hanover Frederica of Hanover (''Friederike Luise''; ; 18 April 1917 – 6 February 1981) was Queen consort of Greece from 1947 until 1964 as the wife of King Paul, thereafter Queen mother during the reign of her son, King Constantine II. Early life Bo ...

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...

and

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

. Their most famous creation was the provocative cassock dress inspired by the robes worn by Roman catholic priests, which had been approved by the Vatican before its release. In 1953 - along with many famous fashion designers including Alberto Fabiani,

Vincenzo Ferdinandi Vincenzo Ferdinandi (29 November 1920 - 22 April 1990) was an Italian designer among the founders of Italian haute couture. Biography Born in the United States, he moved to Italy in the early 1950s to open an atelier in Rome in the fashionabl ...

Emilio Schuberth 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 ...

Jole Veneziani Jolanda Anna Maria Veneziani (11 July 1901 – 10 January 1989) was an Italian fashion designer. Biography Born in Taranto in 1901, Jole Veneziani moved to Milan with her family when she was still a child. She grew up in an artistic household ...

, Giovannelli-Sciarra, Mingolini-Guggenheim, Eleanora Garnett, Simonetta Colonna di Cesarò - they founded the S.I.A.M. - Italian High Fashion Syndicate. In 1972, while continuing their production, they withdrew from official events of high fashion. After selling the company and the brand to an Italian financial group in 1992, Micol Fontana created the Micol Fontana Foundation in 1994. A two-parts television mini-series based on the story of the fashion house, ''

Atelier Fontana - Le sorelle della moda ''Atelier Fontana - Le sorelle della moda'' (Atelier Fontana - "The sisters of fashion") is an Italian television miniseries directed by Riccardo Milani and produced by Rai Fiction and Lux Vide, and broadcast premiered on Rai 1 in two evenings, on ...

'', was broadcast on

Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and general ...

in 2011.

In the popular culture

wore Sorelle Fontana's dresses in many of her movies.

wore a Sorelle Fonatana's dress in the 1953 movie ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...

''. As the designer of

Margaret Truman Mary Margaret Truman Daniel (February 17, 1924 – January 29, 2008) was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry S. Truman a ...

's (daughter of U.S. President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

) wedding gown, Micol Fontana was invited to appear as a mystery guest on the Apr 15, 1956 episode of

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

in New York City. The Truman wedding occurred a few days later on April 21, 1956 in Independence, Missouri. In ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...

'', the tightly moulded priest’s

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...

wore by

in St Peter’s basilica was designed by Sorelle Fontana.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Italian suit makers Manufacturing companies based in Rome Italian companies established in 1943 Clothing companies established in 1943 Clothing brands of Italy Luxury brands High fashion brands

History

In the popular culture

References

Further reading

External links