R
oberto Consorsi, an ingenious expert on
ecclesiastical costume and design at Gammarelli tailors,
will be the first to tell you that "on an incremental basis,
Papal fashion has changed over the centuries, each
Pontiff leaving his own special mark: a buckle here, a
buckle not; a red shoe here, a red shoe not, an erminetrimmed robe, or not, a mantiple, or not." He has curated
rare print collections presented in museum exhibitions
depicting the huge array of costumes worn by the Papal
Court at various times.
Today, Roberto Consorsi and his colleagues at Gammarelli
still craft splendid vestments for the Roman clergy, albeit
much simpler and more restrained. Theirs is a noble
pursuit, one that historians could argue extends beyond
the Pontifex Maximus to the Imperatore Maximus.
HYLAND
