Bellezza

Unlike in the United Kingdom and France, where fashion during the Second World War is extensively debated, in Italy it is an under researched topic, and the behind-the-scenes history of the fashion magazine "Bellezza" – the Italian "Vogue" –, launched in 1941, has never been submitted to scholarly attention; even though its utopian function in defining a new culture of fashion and code of glamour contributed to the totalitarian project of building a ‘new Italian woman’. The current volume aspires to fill this gap, using the case of "Bellezza" as a kaleidoscope for looking through Italian history and culture, drawing on new primary sources and extraordinary iconography.