Palace of Fashion
Object/Work Type
Theme Structures
Title Text
Palace of Fashion
Alternate Title Text
Palazzo della Moda
Creator Description
Architects Pietro Fenoglio, Stefano Molli and Giacomo Salvadori di Wiesenhoff
Creation Date
1910-1911
Demolition Date
1912
Styles/Periods Description
Turinese baroque (revival)
Styles/Periods Indexing Terms
Baroque Revival
Dimension Description
1590 square meters
Materials/Techniques Name
Frame Construction (Wood Frame Construction)
Material Color
White (Color)
Descriptive Note Text
The Pavilion was located on the field that hosted the Swiss Dairy Farm (Latteria Svizzera) on the left side for the visitors who entered the fairgrounds from the Ponte Umberto I entrance. This privileged location highlighted the growing importance of the nascent fashion industry in Italy at that time. The building featured a central gallery with a vast salon in the middle. Glass walls separated the salon from a series of different locales creating the impression of department windows displaying rich wares. Each locale was furnished in different styles and enlivened with mannequins wearing varied coutures. Visitors were thus given the impression of peeking into the interiors of "a modern home."
Ceragioli's dioramas graced the main salon. These large painted canvasses featured changing displays of light and shadow. The dioramas entitled "Paper-hunt," "Patinoire" and "Sulla spiaggia" reproduced the "toilettes" that young men and women wore for these leisure activities. Architecturally speaking, the Pavilion of Fashion was one of the most charming pavilions, even in the planned modesty of its proportions. The pavilion combined Art Nouveau elements with the echoes of the Turinese Baroque. The exterior featured large windows and columns, and was enriched by Art Deco motifs, such as flowers and leaves. The two foreparts, that were on the corners of the Palace and that ended with golden domes, were well balanced with the central structure that displayed large circular windows. The major exhibits in the Pavilion were featured in a free guide that was distributed to all fairgoers.
References:
"Il Palazzo della Moda" Giornale ufficiale Illustrato dell'esposizione internazionale delle Industrie e del lavoro 6 (June 1910): 86
Code in the 1911 Map
SIM 2
Related Protagonists
General Subject Terms
Related Architectural Documents
