About the project
At Reise in die Italienische Mode, held at the Berlin Collectors Room from 1 to 15 September 2011, an excerpt of the exhibition "Viaggiare con la moda", an exhibition dedicated to the work of the Elsa Haertter fashion photographer, was organised in 2008 in Milan. Honegger ideated and realised the design concept for the reserved exhibition space, taking care of the creative concept and each stage of preparation. For the event in Berlin, an exhibition itinerary deepening the relationship between the artist and fashion was chosen, in relation to her collaboration with the magazine «Grazia».Elsa Haertter, German by birth but Italian by adoption, is the fashion photographer who has changed her gaze on women's fashion in the '50s, an exceptional witness to the evolution of Italian fashion after World War II, which even her services have helped promote. Between 1959 and 1968, «Grazia» published eighteen special issues, each of them dedicated to a European or extra-European location. The absolute novelty introduced by Elsa Haertter, who directed the photo reports for the magazine, were the locations: the forests of the Polar Circle, the jungle of Brazil, the busy streets of New York or the gloomy squares of London, where the models were perfectly integrated while wearing clothing of the most important brands of Italian and international haute couture.However, Elsa Haertter did not neglect to include in her reports the fashion of the host countries: here is the Lapland shoes in sealskin or colourful hand-woven cloth bags, typical of the Greek islands in the editions dedicated to Scandinavia and Greece. The deepening of local culture also passed through interviews with well-known personalities or a focus on traditional customs and traditions.