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HERITAGE Malta has launched a capsule exhibition, in collabo- ration with Azzopardi Studio, at the Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu. Titled Couture and Spectacle, the new display features four couture gowns alongside a his- torical fashion piece from Mal- ta's national collection. This evocative exhibition sparks a rare conversation between Mal- ta's rich textile heritage and the art of contemporary couture. Within a set design inspired by the aes- thetics of theatre, visitors are in- vited to step into a dreamscape where historical garments and modern fashion designs converge. At the centre of the display are four couture gowns by Azzopardi Studio, created as contemporary responses to a historical evening gown from the national textiles collection, also on exhibit. The latter, a striking blue tulle and taf- feta dress – an original mid-twen- tieth-century piece by American designer Will Steinman – was previously owned by Mrs Peg- gy Mamo née Edmonson. It was generously donated by Mrs Claire Pisani née Hughes in honour of her aunt-in-law Peggy, wife of her uncle Joseph Mamo Jnr. Couture and Spectacle reposi- tions the dress as both artefact and performance – a legacy worn and reimagined. The exhibition challenges the traditional bound- aries between historical costume and fashion as living art. Inspired by the revivalist spirit of the 1920s, the four designed gowns weave together elements of Art Deco geometry, alchemical mo- tifs, and celestial symbolism of the tarot. As part of the collaboration, Azzopardi Studio has also donat- ed another dress to the national collection. The dress in question formed part of Azzopardi's col- lection titled On the Museum's Ruins, exhibited at the National Museum of Archaeology's Gran Salon in 2018, as part of a project supported by the Arts Council Malta, thus strengthening fur- ther the conceptual ties between the dress and its museological context. While Heritage Malta remains a dedicated guardian of our cul- tural heritage, it is equally invest- ed in engaging with the present. Collaborations like Couture and Spectacle offer meaningful oppor- tunities to reflect on how our past can continue to shape and inspire both the present and the future. 2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 AUGUST 2025 FASHION The exhibition runs until the 30th of September, opening from Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00 (last admission at 16:30). Entrance is includ- ed in the Inquisitor's Palace and the National Museum of Ethnography experience. Persons with impaired mo- bility may find access to the exhibition area challenging because of stairs. For more information visit: https:// heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/ couture-and-spectacle/. Fashion as art, heritage as muse: 'Couture and spectacle' at the Inquisitor's Palace