Overview
Politically divided and often under foreign rule, Italy took its fashion from the Spanish and later the French court.
Key garments and style
The 16th–17th centuries brought the Spanish ruff and heavy dark dress; the 18th, the lighter French Rococo. Venice remained a maker of silk and lace, and at carnival the white bauta mask and the tabarro cloak were worn as dress.
Transition
In the 19th century, with the Risorgimento, a new national symbol appeared in dress.