The Museum of Fashion and Costume, previously known as the “Costume Gallery,” is housed in the charming Palazzina della Meridiana, adjacent to the southern wing of Palazzo Pitti. This building, initiated under Pietro Leopoldo di Lorena by architect Gaspero Maria Paoletti in 1776 and completed in 1830 by Pasquale Poccianti at the behest of Leopoldo II di Lorena, takes its name from the intriguing astronomical instrument created by Vincenzo Viviani in 1699, located in the vestibule of the apartment of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici. Here, in the gnomonic hole, Anton Domenico Gabbiani painted the Allegory of Time and the Arts in 1693. The dynasties that have succeeded, from the Lorena to the Savoia, have left their mark on the furnishings and the decoration of the walls with frescoes.
Founded in 1983, the museum represents the first Italian state museum entirely dedicated to the history of fashion and its social impact. Its collection, displayed on a rotating basis for conservation reasons, includes clothing and accessories ranging from the eighteenth century to the present day, along with underwear, jewelry, costume jewelry, and a wide selection of stage costumes from famous films, theatrical works, and operas, worn by Italian and international cinema and entertainment stars.
Among the most significant pieces are the sixteenth-century funeral attire of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Eleonora di Toledo, and her son Don Garzia, recently restored and now on permanent display. Other noteworthy works include the “mantle-kimono” created by Mariano Fortuny for Eleonora Duse, Chanel’s twenties “flapper” tunic, the vibrant evening gowns by Elsa Schiaparelli, and the royal creations of Emilio Schubert, the tailor of the stars in the fifties.
The collection also reflects the changes and trends in fashion throughout the twentieth century and the early years of the current millennium, with masterpieces by designers such as Miuccia Prada, Giorgio Armani, and John Galliano. After a three-year closure due to Covid and renovation works, the Museum of Fashion and Costume has finally reopened to the public with 12 new rooms, in addition to the nineteenth-century Ballroom Salon. This represents the first step in a major renovation of the museum: another ten rooms will open in the spring, showcasing the suggestive costumes of the nobility from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century and a room entirely dedicated to jewelry.
