# DOLCE VITA 03: ITALIAN FASHION — From the Fontana Sisters to Valentino ## How the Dolce Vita Launched Italian Fashion Onto the World Stage **SEO Title:** Italian Fashion History: Fontana Sisters, Valentino & the Dolce Vita Era **Meta Description:** Discover how the Dolce Vita era launched Italian fashion — the Fontana Sisters, Valentino, Capucci, and the Via dei Condotti luxury shopping tradition. **URL Slug:** /italian-fashion-fontana-sisters-valentino **Featured Image:** rome-fashion-via-condotti-dolce-vita.jpg **GetYourGuide Affiliate Link:** [Browse fashion experiences in Rome → https://www.getyourguide.com/rome-l33/] (Partner ID: 137TC5C) --- Before the 1950s, Paris was the world's only fashion capital. After the Dolce Vita, there were two. The era's glamour — the films, the stars, the paparazzi — created a global appetite for Italian style that continues today. ## The Pioneers **The Fontana Sisters (Sorelle Fontana)** — Founded in Rome in 1943, they dressed Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Anita Ekberg. Their atelier on Via Liguria is still operating. They were the first Italian designers to show in New York. **Emilio Schuberth** — Rome's first couturier, dressing the international elite in the 1950s. His gowns were works of architectural art. **Valentino** — Founded in Rome in 1960, the most important fashion house to emerge from the Dolce Vita era. The global flagship on Via Condotti is a pilgrimage site. **Capucci** — The architectural genius of Roman fashion. His sculptural designs were decades ahead of their time. ## Via dei Condotti: The Fashion Street The Dolce Vita era transformed Via dei Condotti from a charming Roman street into the world's most prestigious shopping destination. Today, every major fashion house has a flagship here — but the street's glamour dates directly back to the 1950s and 60s. ## Roman Fashion Houses Still Operating - **Valentino** — The global flagship on Via Condotti - **Fendi** — Palazzo Fendi, the brand's Roman headquarters - **Bulgari** — Founded in Rome, still headquartered here - **Sorelle Fontana** — The original Dolce Vita fashion house --- ## Internal Links - [The Dolce Vita: Cinema & Fashion → P11] - [Made in Italy Shopping Directory → P10] - [Luxury Bespoke Services → P6] --- *Last updated: 2026-06-20 | Roma Luxury*
