The volume traces the history of haute couture from 1945 to 1968, from the postwar years, which saw the emergence of internationally renowned designers, to the birth of ready-to-wear in 1968. A choral narrative, a topography of the fashion system that unfolds through the cities of Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples, charting an evolving map of the history of Italian haute couture. In addition to critical essays by leading experts in the field, the book includes additional materials and tools for further study, such as a dictionary of haute couture, a glossary of technical terms, biographies of the tailors, and a comprehensive bibliography. The volume is accompanied by an extraordinary gallery of portraits by some of the most important photographers, including Federico Garolla, Pasquale De Antonis, Ugo Mulas, and Regina Relang, whose photographs have chronicled the history of our country.