“Sartorie da Oscar”. Neapolitan Men's Tailoring on the Big Screen

Abstract

The essay intends to explore the contribution made - over a chronological span from the late 1930s to the present day - by Neapolitan haute couture houses to the Italian film industry, focusing on Oscar-winning films in which the constant link with Naples emerges.

These prestigious haute couture houses have dressed world-famous actors, creating unique costumes in their luxury workshops. The relationship with the world of show business has developed since the historic beginnings of the tailor's workshops, influencing not only recent collaborations, but also the very history of the clothes that actors have worn in their daily lives.

Today, these garments form part of museum collections, consolidating identity through documented storytelling. The international notoriety acquired by the Maestri has attracted directors and costume designers, both Italian and foreign, who choose these workshop centres to dress protagonists who symbolise luxury and Italian character. 

These experiences, with their continuity and visibility on the big screen, have contributed to the international diffusion of the names of these bastions of Italian men's tailoring, highlighting formal, chromatic, and technical details that have defined the characters dressed in 'Made in Naples' clothes.