An exhibition dedicated to Ferdinando Sarmi, who dressed Hollywood stars and designed a gown for First Lady Pat Nixon, at the Museum of Costume and Fashion at Palazzo Pitti.

A first-of-its-kind exhibition dedicated to the great, New York-based Italian couturier who designed splendid gowns for the leading film stars between the 1950s and 1960s, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and Barbra Streisand.

Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Barbra Streisand, the Duchess of Windsor. During the golden years of Fifth Avenue, the 20th century’s most famous women placed their look in the hands of Ferdinando Sarmi, a fashion designer who succeeded in giving American high society a touch of Italian flair.

From 18 June to 31 December 2026, the Museum of Costume and Fashion at Palazzo Pitti will celebrate the designer with the exhibition Ferdinando Sarmi New York – Un viaggio nella moda da Firenze alla Fifth Avenue (“Ferdinando Sarmi New York – A journey in fashion from Florence to Fifth Avenue”), staged in the ballroom and adjacent rooms.

The exhibition, the first of its kind, displays a selection of the designer’s iconic gowns, placed alongside items from the Fondo Sarmi holding at the Museum of Costume and Fashion as well as period accessories that recreate the cultural and worldly climate of New York of the 1950s and 1960s.