The Clothes of the Stars

Following the incredible success of the exhibition “The Clothes of the Stars”, Galleria Cavour 1959 is extending the duration until Nov. 3, and on the occasion of the extension, it is presenting two new extraordinary dresses by Chanel and Gucci.

At Galleria Cavour 1959 in Bologna for the first time an exclusive exhibition of iconic clothes worn by great divas between the 1970s and 80s and 90s. Fashion is culture and expresses itself in many art forms, and Galleria Cavour 1959 puts them all together, taking us on a journey through the history of fashion but also through the history of cinema, music and its performers for whom clothing became the vehicle of their greatness as stars. In fact, from September 15 to October 15, 2023 (extended to November 3, 2023) Galleria Cavour 1959 hosted The Clothes of the Stars.

From Capucci to Yves Saint Laurent dresses from the collection of Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini, an exhibition that saw “showcased” a selection of 5 iconic garments from the collection of Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini, from the wardrobe of various celebrities. An exhibition that is part of the mission of Galleria Cavour 1959, which since its origins has dictated style and fashion in the city through its prestigious boutiques with signatures of great designers.

The exhibition, which will be “under glass,” visible from the large windows of the Gallery’s central space, is in the groove of a tradition of research and experimentation of Galleria Cavour 1959 that combines art and fashion, evidenced also by the recent contemporary art exhibitions held in the “living room of the Bolognese.”

On display are two dresses, one orange and one red, by Capucci from the wardrobe of Raina Kabaivanska: Raina had donated them to the Baby Nel Cuore Association for charity and then, again for charity, they were bought by Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini. Among the most prominent opera singers of our time Raina Kabaivanska was born in Burgas on the Black Sea, Bulgaria on December 15, 1934. Her name means river nymph in ancient Bulgarian. Her surname, on the other hand, is an invention of her father who changed her surname Ivanov to kaba- from the soft, tender Turkish, -ivan- root of the surname, with the Polish suffix -ski,-ska as a sign of nobility.

Also by Capucci, among the star’s favorite designers, on display is a wisteria-colored chiffon dress and a blue-violet velvet cape adorned with ruffles in taftas of the usual color, from the wardrobe of actress Valentina Cortese (Milan, Jan. 1, 1923 – Milan, July 10, 2019) considered one of the last divas of Italian cinema and theater. The blue cape and chiffon dress are from the 1980s.

Finally on display is a 1994 spotted dress by Yves Saint Laurent, worn that year by Jeanne Moreau at the Cannes Film Festival. A performer as incisive as she is versatile in more than one hundred and thirty films, Jeanne Moreau (Paris, January 23, 1928 – Paris, July 31, 2017) worked with some of the greatest directors of the 20th century, such as Luis Buñuel, Orson Welles, Michelangelo Antonioni, François Truffaut, Louis Malle, Wim Wenders, and Elia Kazan, becoming one of the most celebrated French actresses from the very beginning.
The dresses come from the extraordinary collection of Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini, who has more than 3,000 couture pieces in her wardrobe that she continues to wear to bring them to life as a “designer of herself through the creations of others,” as she has been called.