La moda italiana sullo schermo: profili di un dibattito (1935-1940)

Abstract

During the second half of the 1930s, debates began to circulate widely in the Italian film press on how to capitalize on Italian high fashion in order to develop and promote a national film style and, through it, an explicitly “Italian” form of stardom. This essay examines the principal fashion and film columns in the leading Italian film magazines of the period, focusing on the expanding
discursive space devoted to the wardrobes of Italian stars. It analyzes how these articles articulated, from multiple perspectives, the perceived need for closer collaboration between the film and fashion industries as a strategic means of shaping both cinematic style and national identity.