Palazzo Pitti · Oltrarno
Ferdinando Sarmi New York: A Journey in Fashion from Florence to Fifth Avenue
The first exhibition dedicated to Italian couturier Ferdinando Sarmi, who dressed Hollywood legends including Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and First Lady Pat Nixon. Features iconic garments from the Sarmi Foundation alongside period accessories evoking the glamour of 1950s–60s New York.
In 1951 Ferdinando Sarmi, born in Ravenna into a noble family, took part in Giovanni Battista Giorgini's fashion show in Florence, the event that marks the birth of Made in Italy. Elizabeth Arden noticed him and brought him to New York to run her fashion line. He changed continents after one show, which is quicker than your last three-round job interview.
In 1958 he founded Sarmi New York and went on to dress Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and First Lady Pat Nixon. The show covers two decades, from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, in the Saloncino da Ballo and adjoining rooms of the Museum of Costume and Fashion. It pairs a selection of his most representative gowns with documents from the Sarmi archive the museum holds, plus period accessories.
It is included in the Palazzo Pitti ticket (€16), open Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 to 18:30, until 31 December.
Editor's pick
The first exhibition devoted to Ferdinando Sarmi, the Florentine couturier who dressed First Lady Pat Nixon and Marlene Dietrich. Garments from the Sarmi Foundation hang with archival material on 1950s and 60s New York society.
