Costume Gallery, Florence
The Florence Costume Gallery, founded in 1983 by Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti, occupies 13 halls in the Palazzina della Meridiana of Palazzo Pitti.
It includes 18th to the 19th century collections that give insight to the history of costumes and fashion. Around six thousand theatrical costumes, old garments and accessories have been collected, mostly through private donations, such as the Tirelli and Ferrè collections.
The exhibition documents the evolution of the styles and traditions of the civilizations, including classic 18th century ladies’ apparel, with narrow waists and full skirts, 19th century dresses and classic early 1920s dresses.
There is also a vast exhibition of men’s fashion that runs parallel to the women’s collection.
Some of the oldest and rarest pieces exhibited are the funeral garb of Cosimo I de'Medici, Eleonora of Toledo and Don Garzia, dating back to the 1500s.
The costumes are displayed in climate-controlled cases on different types of mannequins and are alternated every 2 years in order to conserve the fabrics, thus preventing the clothing from being damaged from prolonged exposure on mannequin and excessive exposure to light.
The central hall hosts temporary exhibitions on particular selections of the gallery’s collection, complemented by special catalogues published by the gallery itself.
Galleria del Costume
Palazzina della Meridiana di Palazzo Pitti
Piazza Pitti, 1
50125 Florence
Italy
Tel. +39 055 294883
