Vincenzo Ferdinandi (29 November 1920 - 22 April 1990) was an Italian designer among the founders of Italian
haute couture
''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...
.
Biography
Born in the United States, he moved to Italy in the early 1950s to open an atelier in Rome in the fashionable
Via Veneto.
He was among the first great haute couture designers to compete with the French in the international arena. In 1949 he was in Paris, called 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 ...
for a stylistic collaboration with the French maison. After that experience, London also called him to design a line of shoes that he completed with creativity and all-Italian creativity
Together with other names of the Italian fashion of the time such as
Roberto Capucci, the
Sartoria Antonelli, the atelier Carosa, Giovannelli-Sciarra,
Germana Marucelli, Polinober, the Sartoria Vanna and
Jole Veneziani, he participated in 1952 in the first historical parade at the Sala Bianca in
Palazzo Pitti in
Florence. A very young
Oriana Fallaci sent by the weekly
''Epoca'' told the news
In 1953, together with other major names of the time (including
Emilio Schuberth, the
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: ...
, Alberto Fabiani, Jole Veneziani, Giovannelli-Sciarra, Mingolini-Guggenheim, Eleonora Garnett, Simonetta), he founded the SIAM -
Italian High Fashion Syndicate
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
(later to become the
National Chamber of Italian Fashion).
In July 1954, together with the Sorelle Fontana, Emilio Schuberth, Giovannelli Sciarra, Garnett and Mingolini-Guggenheim he took part in "Alta Moda in
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...
".
On that occasion, the American
Sally Kirkland, Fashion Editor of
Life and of
Vogue, was awarded for her role as ambassador of Italian fashion in the United States.
Defying the conventions of the time (it was in the early fifties), he is the first to show an afro-American girl in a fashion parade, the young model Dolores Francine Rhiney. His creations are worn by actresses and famous women of those years.
Jennifer Jones,
May Britt,
Virna Lisi,
Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina (; born Silvija Košćina, ; 22 August 1933 – 26 December 1994) was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, maybe best remembered for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules ( Steve Reeves) in ''Hercules'' (1958) and ''Hercules Unchai ...
,
Isabella Albonico,
Eloisa Cianni,
Lucia Bosè, Lilli Cerasoli,
Ivy Nicholson
Ivy Nicholson (February 22, 1933 – October 25, 2021) was an American model and actress.
Early life
Nicholson grew up in Cypress Hills, New York. ''World'' magazine reported that she was "born to a humble working-class family". She started ...
, Loredana Pavone, Joe Patterson, Anna Maria Ghislanzoni, Marta Marzotto and a very young
Elsa Martinelli are some of these
In 2014, the Maxxi museum in Rome as part of the "Bellissima" exhibition numbers him among the pioneers of Italian fashion
References
Further reading
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External links
Ferdinandi Alta Moda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinandi, Vincenzo
1920 births
1990 deaths
Fashion designers from Rome
People from Newark, New Jersey
American emigrants to Italy