Psssst! Does the 1960s Bulgari serpent watch shown above make you aspire to become a snake charmer? Is style-savvy, serpentine design the “super fuel” that wakes your passion for fashion from hibernation, makes you shed the skin of your inhibition and sends you slithering into ecstasy?
Serpentine design splendor
Then “Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968”, now open at at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is sure to pique your interest. The exhibition explores the extraordinarily creative era in Italy from 1945-1968 that sparked Italian high fashion (alta moda) and spilled over into every aspect of the arts.
The museum’s press statement puts this momentous collision of creative specializations in context brilliantly:
“This moment in history laid the foundation for Italy’s future ready-to-wear fashion, and the exhibition traces its beginnings within the social and cultural context,” said Stefano Tonchi. “The high fashion of that time was grounded in a strong sense of reality: They were luxury creations, but nonetheless practical; precious, embroidered textiles that had a certain simplicity; short cocktail dresses that allowed for movement; and warm, roomy coats accompanied by oversized handbags. This awareness of reality created an opportunity for a fashion system that truly served its patrons, with garments designed for the life of the modern woman.”
Jusssst a coincidence?
“Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968” is sponsored by Bulgari and features, among many other exquisite objects, the Bulgari Serpenti lady’s jewellery watch. The exhibition is open until June 19, 2016. Coincidentally, just two weeks before that date, a watch of that same model will form one of the highlights of Dorotheum’s jewellery auction.
Snakeophile jewellery lovers and aficionados of Italian design take note: the auction also includes two other serpentine Bulgari designs and a total of 11 stunning Bulgari jewellery items.
Snake eyes
Which to attend first – the exhibition or the auction? You’ll have to answer that question for yourself, but we wouldn’t advise you to miss either!
While you’re deciding, wind your way through the jewellery auction’s online catalog for your pick of over 200 jewellery items by Bulgari, Cartier and a hosssst of other iconic brands!
Auction: Jewellery
When: 2 pm, 2 June, 2016
Where: Palais Dorotheum