à la mode

Sunday I finally experienced my long-awaited day of fashion; my day à la mode, if you will.  For two years I've meant to visit both the Ferragamo and Gucci museums, but it took having just two weeks left here to light a fire under me.

The Ferragamo shoe museum is an offshoot of the store housed inside Palazzo Spini Feroni, the original headquarters and workshop of the company since 1938.  Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960) was the most influential shoemaker of the last century, being one of the first, and certainly the most successful, to fuse creativity, craftsmanship, and comfort.  Having studied the anatomy of the foot, he invented the wedge heel as well as many other innovations and artistic creations that made him practically an overnight success in Hollywood, where he quickly became known as "shoemaker to the stars."  After his returning to Italy and opening this flagship store, the location became an international fashion hotspot for the rich and famous.

It was so neat to learn about how all the famous actresses came to him, including Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as about the films that featured his shoe-making skills, from Evita to as recent a film as The Iron Lady.

The black shoe above, from the 1930s, is almost identical to a Furla pair I own from just last year.  It's amazing how these fashions recycle themselves.

The Gucci museum, in Piazza della Signoria, was filled with beautiful items but was a bit too stuffy for my taste, feeling more like a showroom than a museum.  There was a Gucci Cadillac Seville in the museum, trimmed with that classic Gucci stripe.  This Cadillac was packin'-packin' more Gucci luggage, that is. 

In addition to the car, there were other truly spectacular items featured, including this beautiful golden clutch with a serpent clasp, and real celebrity gowns worn to awards shows.  I had to exercise the utmost self-control to not reach out and touch them-I felt just like I was in a store!

Then, on my way home, I stopped into a cute vintage store and found myself a silk dress that I'm in love with, and back at the villa dessert that night was gelato cake, so it really was a day à la mode.  The only downside is that now I want a pair of Ferragamo shoes and an ostrich leather Gucci handbag.  God help me.