History in A Name: Madame Fernanda

The strength of the bond that unites the fashion house to its founder, Fernanda Gattinoni, has been the same since 1946, making the brand a leading name in international fashion. Born in Cocquio- Trevisago (Varese) September 20, 1906, she was a woman of natural elegance. Her extreme refinement allowed her to design silk, bustiers, trains and embroideries, creating garments of pure perfection. In 1925, aged just 19, her talent had already made her a promising talent of the London fashion house Molyneux, a royal household brand. Her inability to keep clothes and emotions separate, being guided by her feelings, had caused her to give up a post in Paris with Coco Chanel, in order to return to Italy to work for the Ventura fashion house, in Milan and then Rome. In was at that time that the famous couturière became renowned for solving the most famous “sartorial drama” in history. At St. Peter’s Basilica on 8 January 1930, ten minutes before the ceremony, she substituted the sleeves of the lace dress belonging to Belgian princess Marie José Saxe Coburg Gotha – who was about to marry the future King of Italy, Umberto di Savoia – with long white kid gloves. In 1946 her dream of opening her own atelier in the capital came to pass, and the atelier immediately attracted film stars and the international jet set. The first ever garment with the Gattinoni label was a green velvet suit, made for Clara Calamai, star of 1950s Italian cinema. Some of the world’s most beautiful and mysterious women have entrusted themselves to the genius and delicacy of “Madame” Gattinoni, (as everyone called her): Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Kim Novak, Lucia Bosè, Ava Gardner, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Anna Magnani, Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Maria Pierangeli, Isa Miranda, Lana Turner, Maria José and many more. An endless production line of dream, haute couture clothes: bustiers, tapered waistlines, flared skirts, and empire silhouette dresses. Fernanda Gattinoni was a woman of another time; and one awarded numerous prizes both in Italy and abroad for her tireless efforts during her long career in the field of fashion and society.