Fashion Museums in Florence

The Museum of Costume and Fashion in Florence, located inside the Palazzina della Meridiana next to the southern wing of Pitti Palace, is one of the most important Italian institutions dedicated to the history of costume and fashion.

It houses a vast collection of more than 15.000 pieces, with dresses, accessories and historical costumes dating from the 16th century to present days. The recently-renovated museum features 12 new rooms, including the elegant 19th century Ballroom.

Among the numerous exhibitions are the majestic kimono-style housecoat created by Mariano Fortuny for Eleonora Duse, the 1920s “flapper” tunic by Chanel, the sparkling sequin-covered outfit worn by Franca Florio and the flamboyant evening gowns by Elsa Schiaparelli, leading up to the regal luxury of the creations by Emilio Schubert, the tailor of the divas in the 1950s (his garments for Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren are famous).

Additionally, the museum showcases the geometric extravagance of Patty Pravo's dress, designed in the early 1980s by Gianni Versace, the essential sensuality of the black sheath designed by Jean Paul Gaultier and made famous by Madonna, and the dreamy allure of Gianfranco Ferré's collection for Dior in the 1990s.

Each section offers a fascinating journey through the centuries, showcasing masterpieces by great fashion designers that reveal the evolution of style and taste. Displayed in rotation for conservation reasons, the Museum’s collections also include jewelry and accessories from the 18th century to today,

The Ferragamo Museum was established in 1995 by Ferragamo family, with the aim of introducing the artistic qualities of Salvatore Ferragamo, the founder of the eponymous company, and his innovations in the field of footwear. These innovations have positioned him as one of the major figures in 20th-century design and fashion.

Following the ever-evolving world of fashion, it was decided in 2006 to adopt the approach of changing the exhibition themes annually. Starting from the legacy of Salvatore Ferragamo, his creations, and the values he believed in, these themes aim to blend the past with contemporary elements. This involves integrating art, architecture, design, social history, philosophy, and science into the narrative of the museum.

It was in 1921 that Guccio Gucci opened his company and first store in Florence with a dream and a vision that still lives on today. The Gucci Galleria, situated inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia on Piazza della Signoria, narrates the House’s new vision while celebrating the archives including old advertising campaigns, artisans’ images, retro objects. The newly designed space has been curated by critic Maria Luisa Frisa.

The journey inside the exhibition space that spans across two floors begins inside ‘Guccification’, the room where the Double G motif features in many forms then it follows in the room ‘Paraphernalia’, dedicated to signature codes and symbols that define Gucci’s identity and ‘Cosmorama’ the room that reveals the historical jet-set customer of Gucci and the evolution of the Crest.

The gallery continues on the second floor with ‘De Rerum Natura’, two rooms that recall natural history museums. The sensory journey ends with ‘Ephemera’, an environment where the gaze of the present composes landscapes of objects, videos and memorabilia that retrace the history of the House. A store with one-of-a-kind items and the 'Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura' — a restaurant by three-Michelin-star chef - complement the exhibition spaces to create a destination location for visitors.

The Stibbert Museum, conceived by Frederick Stibbert (1838-1906), is a rare example of a 19th-century museum: an extraordinary collection of arms, armour and works of art is displayed in a series of rooms whose evocative layout was designed to evoke the atmosphere of the period and the places of origin of the various objects.

The collections include weapons, armour, costumes, objects of furniture and applied art, tapestries and paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, displayed in 60 rooms. The Sala della Cavalcata (the riding hall) is remarkable, where life-size European and Oriental knights are arrayed; the Japanese section includes, in addition to arms and armour, bronzes, costumes, lacquerware: it is one of the most important in the world outside Japan.

The park surrounding the villa, dotted with pavilions, statues, fake ruins and even a small Egyptian temple, reflects Stibbert's adherence to the romantic and eclectic taste typical of his time.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Domenico Michelacci started straw production on an industrial scale and until the 1950s Signa became the centre of the manufacture of hats made of this material (the famous 'straw hat of Florence').

The museum, which also hosts temporary exhibitions, brings together straw and woven objects made of different materials, work tools and machines, historical photos and works of art, and a selection of hats from the late 19th century to 1970.

The new museum building, inaugurated on 10 June 2023, has three levels - basement, ground floor and first floor - housing not only straw hats but also various types of straw braids, bags, paintings, equipment and machinery: seven exhibition rooms entirely dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the history of Signese, which has its roots in straw processing.

The loggia of the main entrance opens onto a completely renovated courtyard with trees, flower boxes and stone benches. At the entrance is a large terracotta sculpture by Bruno Catarzi under a roof of hats hanging from the ceiling.

The first exhibition room on the ground floor, past the bookshop, is dedicated to audiovisuals: in fact, three ceiling-mounted video projectors have been installed for the continuous reproduction of films, photographs, and interviews on the history of the Museum to be watched while sitting on large poufs placed in the centre of the room. In addition to this, there are two rooms to the right for temporary exhibitions of various objects - certainly hats, but also bags and straw garments.

On the upper floor, three rooms are dedicated to the permanent exhibition: various machines are housed in these rooms - among them a 'needling machine', a tool with which, by means of a vertical movement of the needles, the fibre mattress is made compact. In addition there are paintings, candelabra, hats both in the showcases and hanging on the walls, mannequins for the display of clothing and glass vases containing various seeds to be used for educational experiences.

Finally, a 'selfie wall' for taking souvenir photos wearing straw hats provided by the Museum.