Evening ensemble
The Fontana sisters, Micol, Zoe and Giovanna, designed this dress for Ava Gardner to wear in the 1954 film "The Barefoot Contessa." Gardner was a devoted client of the Fontana Sisters, on and off the screen, and her patronage helped them to gain notoriety and achieve the success they did, particularly in America. The 1950s in particular saw great success for the house, as they designed for many American actresses and luminaries as well as Italian dignitaries and aristocrats. Known for their wasp-waisted, full-skirted evening dresses dripping with style, the sisters used high-quality, beautiful materials and frequently decorated the sumptuous silks and velvets with exquisite embroidery, as evidenced in this example.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening ensemble
- Design House: Fontana (Italian, founded 1943)
- Designer: Micol Fontana (Italian, born 1913)
- Date: 1954
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Micol Fontana, 1954
- Object Number: 2009.300.1196a–d
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Fontana
1956
Fontana
Dal Co'
1956
Fontana
December 1951
Fontana
1956
Fontana
1956–57
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.