Fashion to the Maxxi

The new exhibition Bellissima: The Italy of High Fashion 1945-1968 looks at the elegant, sophisticated and often cinematic creations of designers from that period, like Capucci, Simonetta and Mila Schön. Fitting, then, that the gala celebrating its opening at the Maxxi Museum in Rome drew the big names of contemporary Italian fashion including Miuccia Prada, Frida Giannini, Alberta Ferretti and Peter Dundas. The Saturday evening event, sponsored by Bulgari (also a main partner in the exhibition, which highlights some of the brand’s glittering jewels) kicked off with preview of the show, curated by Anna Mattirolo, Maria Luisa Frisa and W Magazine’s Editor in Chief Stefano Tonchi. Afterwards, attendees enjoyed dinner and a special performance by Vanessa Beecroft, featuring a tableau of women cloaked in gossamer, caftan-type garments and veils like so many high fashion priestesses.