After talking so much about fabric and weaving, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to tell you about an exhibition involving an important figure in Italian fashion, an artist who really knew fabric and who molded it to create his fabulous shirts: Gianfranco Ferrè.

The show recently opened at the Museo del Tessuto in Prato and I ran to see it on opening day. Wasn’t it obvious?

The White Shirt According to… Me

“In the contemporary lexicon of elegance I like to think that the white shirt is a universal term that each woman may ‘pronounce’ as she prefers…” Gianfranco Ferré

The Museo del Tessuto is in and of itself a magical and fascinating place, but now, with this exhibition, it really has something special.

The beginning of the exhibition shows videos of runway shows and photographic panels immersed in darkness. Perfection. Everything emphasizes the whiteness of the pieces and their complex construction. It serves as preparation for the next room which is the true heart of the exhibition.

The second room of the show, in fact, houses the 27 white shirts chosen as a testimony to 20 years of creative and design genius. This room, in contrast to the first, seemed filled with light where each shirt is lit as if it were a sculpture (they almost look like marble!) and the white of the fabric exponentially increases this sensation. In reality, everything around you is in semi-darkness but when you enter and you find yourself in front of this “army” of white shirts, it is truly dazzling.

The sketches and photographs (also displayed in this room) which tell us the story of the creation of these masterpieces are just as beautiful as the shirts. They are true works of art.

Once again I found myself stunned by how a true artist with a single material, in a single color, with only a few skilled gestures is capable of creating so much. Each time he tells a different story. A new narrative.

In my opinion, it is a show that is not to be missed.

P.S. If you decide to come to Prato, remember that you are always welcome at DHG! Come visit us!

If you liked this article maybe you would also enjoy Mariano Fortuny and Delphos, his dress in pleated fabric