ROME (AP) 鈥 For nearly six decades, the Tirelli atelier in Rome has woven itself into the fabric of Italian and international film history, earning the nickname the 鈥淥scar tailor鈥檚 shop鈥 for its contribution to cinematic costume design.
Established in November 1964 by the late Umberto Tirelli, the shop has been behind 17 Academy Awards for best costume design. Most recently, its artisans collaborated with Janty Yates and Dave Crossman to create the costumes for Ridley Scott's epic 鈥淣apoleon.鈥 The Hollywood designers were nominated for an Oscar that will be decided at this weekend's Academy Awards.
鈥淢aybe it will win! Let鈥檚 add another medal to the medal collection,鈥 the shop's current head, Dino Trappetti, said in an interview. 鈥淥f course, the Oscar is not won by the tailor鈥檚 shop, the Oscar is won by the costume designer. But the tailor鈥檚 shop has the merit and the honor of having participated to make it win.鈥
The atelier鈥檚 origins stem from Tirelli鈥檚 passion for collecting antique clothing. He scouted pieces in the attics of aristocrats and flea markets worldwide, patiently building a collection that now counts more than 15,000 authentic garments spanning from 1750 to 1980.
At the start, the shop featured 鈥渁 sewing machine, two cutters and two other seamstresses,鈥 Trappetti said.
Today, the headquarters of Tirelli Costumes in Rome's Prati neighborhood features mannequins wearing some of the atelier's most famous creations: A delicate pink flowered outfit Tom Hulce wore as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Milos Forman鈥檚 鈥淎madeus鈥 (which netted an Oscar for costume designer Theodor Pistek); the rich red velvet bustle and feathered number Michelle Pfeiffer's countess wore in 鈥淭he Age of Innocence鈥 (which gave designer Gabriella Pescucci her Oscar).
After the 1984 鈥淎madeus鈥 design Oscar, Tirelli could have gone more international 鈥渂ecause the market was immediately interested," Trapetti said. But Tirelli, who died in 1990, was not convinced.
Trappetti remembered him saying: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to America. If America wants, America will come looking for me.鈥
It has.
In 60 years, the tailor鈥檚 shop has created more than 300,000 costumes that are now stored in a warehouse in Formello, near Rome, where double-height racks of clothes stretch out across 7,000 square meters (more than 75,000 square feet). Costume designers come for inspiration, historical information 鈥 and hand-cut, hand-sewn creations from the team of Tirelli seamstresses.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make those costumes in a factory. In a factory you can make films with robots, futuristic or fantasy. But these things have to be made by hand,鈥 Trappetti said.
