Irene Brin

A well-known figure in the world of culture between the wars, Irene Brin started out in the early 30's as a reporter of society news, writing articles on fashion chiefly for the magazine Bellezza from 1945 to the early 60's. Caratozzolo's portrait depicts Brin as an extraordinarily effective promoter of Italian culture abroad, thanks to her unprecedented role as Rome editor for Harper's Bazaar. She helped to build the image of Italian fashion, and made Italian designers fully aware of the value of their creations. While celebrating the unique and traditional qualities of Italian fashion, Brin was also far ahead of her time in understanding and embracing the international, even global directions that fashion was beginning to take, and that would prove to be its future.