Irene Galitzine
Encyclopedia
Princess
Irene Galitzine
(July 22, 1916 in Tbilisi
- October 20, 2006 in Rome
) was a Russian-Georgian-born fashion designer whose most renowned creation was the "palazzo pyjama". She was named to the International Best Dressed List
Hall of Fame in 1965.
Galitzine was born to prince
Boris (1878–1958) of the aristocratic Galitzine
family, whose origins date back to 1200 and a Georgian mother, Nina Lazareff. However, her family were forced to flee the country following the 1917 October Revolution
, and took up residence in Italy
.
After studying art in Rome
, English at Cambridge
and French at the Sorbonne
, Galitzine joined the Italian designers, the Fontana sisters in 1943 and worked with them for 3 years.
In 1946 she opened her own salon and presented her first collection. In 1960, she achieved great success with the launch of her "palazzo pyjamas" which were wide legged evening trousers made of soft silk. Evening pyjamas became a firm fixture of the fashion scene during the 60's. Currently, some of her original "palazzo pyjama" collection still exist in important museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York
, the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London and the Costume Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia
.
In 1962 she was named Designer of the Year by the Italian fashion press and in 1965 she won the British Sunday Times International Fashion Award. Since then, her creations have been worn by some of the most famous women in the world such as Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor
, Lee Radzwill, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
, Ira von Fürstenberg
, Queen Paola of Belgium
, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
, Duchess of Windsor, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, Merle Oberon
, Audrey Hepburn
, Marella Agnelli
, Greta Garbo
, Catherine Spaak
, Pamela Churchill Harriman and Claudia Cardinale
.
In 1990, the Galitzine label was purchased by the Xines Company. In September 1996, Galitizine opened her first boutique in Moscow
, and in November of the same year she published her biography entitled “From Russia to Russia”.
Irene Galitzine was married on 29 July 1949, in Rome, to Silvio Medici de Menezes (26 Oct 1903 – 12 Jun 1989). On October 20, 2006, she died at her home in Rome, aged 90.
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
Irene Galitzine
Galitzine
For Orthodox clergyman and theologian, see Alexander Golitzin.The Galitzines are one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. Since the extinction of the Korecki family in the 17th century, the Golitsyns have claimed dynastic seniority in the House of Gediminas...
(July 22, 1916 in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
- October 20, 2006 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) was a Russian-Georgian-born fashion designer whose most renowned creation was the "palazzo pyjama". She was named to the International Best Dressed List
International Best Dressed List
The International Best Dressed List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time.People who have been on the list include from A to Z:-The International Hall of Fame: Women:...
Hall of Fame in 1965.
Galitzine was born to prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Boris (1878–1958) of the aristocratic Galitzine
Galitzine
For Orthodox clergyman and theologian, see Alexander Golitzin.The Galitzines are one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. Since the extinction of the Korecki family in the 17th century, the Golitsyns have claimed dynastic seniority in the House of Gediminas...
family, whose origins date back to 1200 and a Georgian mother, Nina Lazareff. However, her family were forced to flee the country following the 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, and took up residence in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
After studying art in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, English at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and French at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, Galitzine joined the Italian designers, the Fontana sisters in 1943 and worked with them for 3 years.
In 1946 she opened her own salon and presented her first collection. In 1960, she achieved great success with the launch of her "palazzo pyjamas" which were wide legged evening trousers made of soft silk. Evening pyjamas became a firm fixture of the fashion scene during the 60's. Currently, some of her original "palazzo pyjama" collection still exist in important museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London and the Costume Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
In 1962 she was named Designer of the Year by the Italian fashion press and in 1965 she won the British Sunday Times International Fashion Award. Since then, her creations have been worn by some of the most famous women in the world such as Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Lee Radzwill, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
, Ira von Fürstenberg
Ira von Fürstenberg
Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg is a European socialite, actress, jewelry designer, and a former public relations manager for the fashion designer Valentino Garavani.-Background:...
, Queen Paola of Belgium
Queen Paola of Belgium
Paola, Queen of the Belgians , is the queen consort of Albert II of Belgium....
, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece is the wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, who was deposed in referendums in 1973 and in 1974. Her title "Queen of Greece" is not recognized under the terms of the republican Constitution of Greece...
, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild was a French socialite who became a doyenne of Parisian high-society and was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France....
, Duchess of Windsor, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress best known for her screen performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Cowboy and the Lady . She began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII . She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel...
, Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
, Marella Agnelli
Marella Agnelli
Marella Agnelli, born Princess Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto is an Italian socialite, style icon and wife of Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli...
, Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, Catherine Spaak
Catherine Spaak
-Biography:Spaak was born at Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine . She is the niece of Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak.She spent most of her career in Italy, where she became a teenage star...
, Pamela Churchill Harriman and Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
.
In 1990, the Galitzine label was purchased by the Xines Company. In September 1996, Galitizine opened her first boutique in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and in November of the same year she published her biography entitled “From Russia to Russia”.
Irene Galitzine was married on 29 July 1949, in Rome, to Silvio Medici de Menezes (26 Oct 1903 – 12 Jun 1989). On October 20, 2006, she died at her home in Rome, aged 90.