Elisabetta Gnignera: Expert in Italian Renaissance Fashion

di Amber Petrossi*

Elisabetta Gnignera

Elisabetta Gnignera, born and raised in Viterbo, is a specialist in Vestimentaires, or historical biographies through the lenses of clothing and style.
With a strong passion for the world of style and beauty beginning at age six, Elisabetta has an eye for fashion. Her education at the Koefia International Haute Couture and Costume Academy in Rome generated her career as a product manager in the fashion industry for 15 years. While working with companies such as Burberry, Elisabetta translated the designer’s ideas into real products. Mastering the art of mixing creativity with organization paved the way for Elisabetta’s entrance into the academic world.
In collaboration with other historians, Elisabetta has studied the reconstructions of clothing within several important artworks such as La Dama with the Ermine and Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. She explains the importance of vestimentary biography as a crucial but under-looked layer of a story. “I find it fascinating that you can contain a whole life in one CV, if you look closer there is so much more to a person. My work is about bringing history to life.” Her accomplishments in the academia are vast, but she is most proud of her most recent book, Segnora Illustrissima, where she tells the story and stylistic influence of Caterina Sforza, Lucrezia Borgia, and other renaissance women.
Elisabetta is proud of her Viterbese roots, so much so that she contributed to a sort of tribute to Lorenzo da Viterbo and his frescoes in the Mazzatosta chapel in Santa Maria della Verità in 2019. She hopes that she will see more works of Lorenzo discovered in her lifetime. After returning to Viterbo in 2011, Elisabetta was surprised to find that Viterbo had become a more open and lively city than when she left it. When meeting Elisabetta, one may find that she is a perfect representation of how she describes her city, friendly and charming.
Today, Elisabetta focuses on vestimentary research and presentations, while also consulting for renaissance clothing reenactments. Her next conference on May 6th discusses Federico da Montefeltro and court fashion of his time.

To read more of Elisabetta’s fashion commentary: https://www.outoffashion.it/arte-moda-o-della-bellezza-etica-the-case-gucci-ovs-arts-of-italy-e-hm-conscious-exclusive-elisabetta-gnignera/
To purchase one of Elisabetta’s books: https://www.amazon.it/Libri-Elisabetta-Gnignera/s?rh=n%3A411663031%2Cp_27%3AElisabetta+Gnignera

 

The Author

*My name is Amber Petrossi and I am from Southern California, USA. I am studying anthropology and geography with a minor in Italian at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. I am studying abroad in Viterbo for the spring semester to learn more about Italian language and culture. I have always been drawn to Italy. Everything from art, food, and way of living. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to meet with artists in the Tuscia area!

Mi chiamo Amber Petrossi e vengo dal sud della California, USA. Sto studiando antropologia e geografia presso la California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Sto vivendo la mia esperienza all’estero, per questo semestre primaverile sono a Viterbo per saperne di più sulla lingua italiana e sulla cultura. Sono sempre stata attratta dall’Italia, dall’arte, dal cibo e dal modo di vivere. Sono entusiasta di avere con i miei articoli l’opportunità di incontrare alcuni artisti della Tuscia!

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