South Coast Plaza, in Partnership with the Italian...

South Coast Plaza, in partnership with the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) kicks off "Italy at South Coast Plaza," a 25-day festival featuring Italy's finest culture, fashion, art and food. The celebration features the Southern California debut of a 33' x 39' infiorata, a stunning outdoor mosaic of flower petals and organic materials created by a team of Italian masters from Noto, Sicily with the help of local community and arts organizations.

The festival also includes a tour of special exhibitions celebrating Italy's contribution to fashion. Two of the exhibits, "FASHIONSET" and "Playing with Textiles," will make their US debut at "Italy at South Coast Plaza." "FASHIONSET" is a journey into the world of costume design in international cinema from 1900 to 1960 and "Playing with Textiles" showcases Italy's excellence in textiles by combining the finest fabrics with imagination and inspiration to produce masterpieces of art. Further homage is paid to Italy's contribution to fashion with "Shoes for the Stars," a retrospective of Italian footwear creations for films spanning the last twenty years. Additionally, the "Moda & Cinema" (Fashion and Film) photo exhibition consists of a series of images that illustrate the most significant moments of fashion in film, from the 1950s to today.