Lost Fashion Shops of Valletta: the Untold Stories

Speaker: Caroline Tonna, Dress Historian
Language: English

About the Lecture:

Fashion shops reflect the spirit of their time, embodying societal aspirations and shaping our social and cultural identity. Lost Fashion Shops of Valletta: The Untold Stories delves into the commercial activities of 19th- and early 20th-century fashion retailers in Valletta, drawing from notarial archive documents. This research presents a compelling narrative of Valletta’s fashion history, highlighting its influence on evolving consumption trends, the decline of local craftsmanship, the rise of imported ready-made goods, and the dramatic transformation of the city’s streetscape.

About the Speaker:

Caroline Tonna is an art and dress historian and former curator at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum, Mdina (2018–2023). She holds degrees in Anthropology and Art History, as well as a Master of Arts in Art History. Specialising in 19th-century dress history and photography, she is the author of Fashion Society in Malta: The Portrait Photography of Leandro Preziosi 1830–1869 (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2022), which won the National Book Council Prize 2023 for best publication production. Caroline has extensive experience in publishing, as well as in cultural productions for radio and television.

Kindly RSVP by emailing ou******@na******.org. Following the lecture, we warmly invite you to the courtyard to enjoy some light refreshments.

This lecture is kindly supported by The Alfred Mizzi Foundation.