Hat between art and extravaganza at Pitti Palace

It's probably the accessory that more than any other allows you to be daring and customize your own style. It never goes unnoticed and allows you to give a new touch to the old-fashioned dress you forgotten in the closet. For those who have not yet figured out, we're talking about the hat, to which the Costume Gallery in Florence now devotes an exhibition.

There will be time until May 18 to see at Palazzo Pitti the extraordinary collections of the museum, which amounted to more than a thousand units, usually kept in storage. Only a part of these collections, mostly attributable to the generosity of many patrons, will be devoted to the exhibition. Among these collections prevail pieces designed by the most famous couture houses such as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, John Rocha, Prada, Gianfranco Ferre and international productions of famous milliners of the present and the past like Philip Treacy, Stephen Jones Caroline Reboux, Claude Saint-Cyr, Paulette. But there are also, for the first time, hats designed by Italian an Florentine millinery, some of which, unfortunately, are very little known to the general public.

This is also an opportunity to expose the extraordinary sketches made specifically by Alberto Lattuada - illustrator, designer and stylist - and to propose objects created by Clemente Cartoni, a famous Roman milliner of the '50s and '60s. At the realization of the exhibition has also contributed the Consortium Il Cappello di Firenze, that exposes some of the most characteristic examples of major hat manufacturing Tuscan companies, heirs of the ancient craftsmanship of the Straw Hat in Florence.

The exhibition shows how the hat can be transformed in a "work of art", an object whose aesthetic harmony comes from the combination of shape, color component and ornamental refinement. It is an object that allows a great freedom of opinion and expression, and that can be studied under a historical, artistic or purely aesthetic profile. Extraordinary, as ancient as the world and yet always up-to-date, it is capable of giving pleasure and elegance and distinctly define identity and role.

The hat comes in the history of Florence and Tuscany in the paintings of the Macchiaioli where - wide-brimmed, in straw, organza, felt, wool - hat is the absolute protagonist. But this accessory is also one of the key leaders in the history of costume, especially in the '900. Just think of the strong impression that it left on cinema and art, as well as on the catwalks, the various functions that covers and the status it represents.

Not only an accessory then, but also also and object of military, for example, or religious use, or a symbol of dignity and elegance. The hat has become a protagonist of trends like coat or suit, especially in the world of women's fashion where, in all its infinite variety - brimmed, cloche or toque - is able to give that extra touch to any outfit .