Overview
Clothes and accessories from the 18th century to present day
To journey through the history of fashion, make a stop at Florence’s Fashion and Costume Museum. Formerly known as the Costume Gallery, the rich collection is housed inside Pitti Palace, more precisely in the Palazzina della Meridiana, which can also be accessed from the lush Boboli Gardens.
Founded in 1983, under the direction of Kristen Aschengreen Piacenti, the Museum of Fashion and Costume houses more than 6,000 items, a collection of court and gala gowns, uniforms, haute couture, theatrical and film stage costumes, and accessories from the 18th century to the present. Alongside the funeral clothes of the Medici family, there is no lack of garments created by the most famous Italian fashion designers, including Armani, Versace and Valentino.
The collections rotate periodically so the exhibition is constantly updated. This site of cultural heritage also boasts a paper archive, rich in drawings and sketches, and a fabric restoration workshop, indispensable for the maintenance of the garments.
Piazza de' Pitti, 1, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia