Italian Fashion: From the Fontana Sisters to Valentino

DOLCE VITA 03: ITALIAN FASHION — From the Fontana Sisters to Valentino

How the Dolce Vita Launched Italian Fashion Onto the World Stage

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