The House of Fontana was an Italian couture house of fashion. Fontana was founded as a small dressmakers shop by Amabile Fontana in 1907, but it was not until her daughters Zoe, Micol and Giovanna Fontana moved to Rome in 1936 that the family became famous. After WWII, the Sorelle Fontana were the first to feel the need to give fashion in Italy a look of its own, freeing it from foreign influence. In 1951 they went to the United States where their success was immediate.
Soon their fashion was recognized in Europe, Japan, Africa and Asia. Among their many famous customers were Donna Marella Agnelli, Princess Grace of Monaco, Margaret Truman, Jacqueline Kennedy, and the Princesses Savoia. The Sorelle Fontana have also dressed famous stars such as Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, and Barbara Stanwyck. Their best client was Ava Gardner, and they designed both her private and professional wardrobes. They were best known for their glamourous evening dresses and their romantic wedding dresses.
Written by bombshell*frocks
from a c. 1951 dress purchased in Italy
Courtesy of bombshell*frocks
