Tirelli - Trappetti
Costumes Since 1964
NYC Exhibition (work in progress)
A Living Archive of Cinema, Ready for a Traveling Exhibition
For more than sixty years, Tirelli Trappetti has created the costumes that helped define some of the most memorable images in cinema.
From Il Gattopardo and Amadeus to The Age of Innocence, Titanic, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Cruella, the atelier has collaborated with some of the world's most celebrated directors, costume designers, actors and production companies.
These are not costumes inspired by films. They are the original costumes created for the films themselves—made by master tailors, cutters, embroiderers and artisans who understand that historical detail, silhouette, fabric and craftsmanship can transform a character and an entire world.
Over six decades, that work has resulted in an extraordinary archive of more than 500,000 garments and pieces, preserved in Italy.
It is an archive of cinema history, fashion history and Italian craftsmanship on a scale rarely seen anywhere in the world. And yet, much of it has never been seen in the US. This exhibition creates the opportunity to change that.
The project brings authentic Tirelli Trappetti costumes out of the archive and into a carefully conceived exhibition environment—where garments are presented not simply as objects, but as characters, stories and moments from the history of cinema and fashion.
The exhibition is conceived as a flexible, international format, capable of being adapted to museums, cultural institutions, galleries, festivals, landmark venues and other distinctive spaces.
Archive and Exhibitions
An Exhibition with a Proven History
This is not a first experiment.
Over the past decade, Tirelli Trappetti has presented more than twenty exhibitions at major cultural institutions internationally.
Projects have included I vestiti dei sogni at Palazzo Braschi in Rome, Picasso/Chanel at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, La moda in Italia at La Venaria Reale in Turin, exhibitions dedicated to Sergio Leone and Marcello Mastroianni at the Ara Pacis in Rome, Jojo Rabbit at FIDM in Los Angeles, and exhibitions at institutions including the Serlachius Museum in Finland.
Each project demonstrates the extraordinary visual impact of authentic film costumes when they are presented through thoughtful exhibition design, lighting, spatial storytelling and interpretation.
The result is more than a collection of mannequins. It is an environment. A cinematic experience. A journey through characters, films, eras and the extraordinary people behind them.
The Story Is Open
The archive allows the exhibition to be developed around a wide range of stories. A project could explore:
Legendary Costume Designers
A focused journey through the work of one of cinema's great costume designers and the worlds they created.
Actors & Transformation
How costumes helped transform actors into unforgettable characters, following one performer across different films and periods.
Directors & Their Worlds
Exploring the visual language of a celebrated director through the costumes that helped establish their cinematic universe.
One Extraordinary Film
An immersive exhibition devoted to a single landmark production, revealing the costumes, characters, craftsmanship and visual language behind the film.
Cinema Through the Ages
A sweeping journey through historical periods—from Renaissance courts and 18th-century aristocracy to Belle Époque society and the modern screen.
Fashion & Cinema
An exploration of the relationship between fashion and film, combining original movie costumes with authentic historical and vintage garments from the Tirelli collection starting from the late 1920is.
The Art of Costume
A deeper look at the people and techniques behind the illusion: tailoring, embroidery, textiles, corsetry, millinery, armor, aging, dyeing and the extraordinary handcraft required to create a believable cinematic world.
The final concept can be developed around the identity, audience and physical environment of the host institution.