Fashion drawing by Dener Pamplona (1975)

In 1975, Dener Pamplona designed a spectacular dress for a socialite from Rio de Janeiro.

Fashion design by Dener Pamplona, ​​a dress for socialite Anita Peçanha. One page. Notes in Portuguese. 31cm x 41cm. 1975-1976, no location information. Probably São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Good state. Single piece.

A narcissistic, shallow, lying dandy? The forerunner of haute couture in Brazil? A soap opera character? It is difficult to describe who Dener Pamplona (1937-1978) was. I will try to summarize the facts on which fashion historians seem to agree.

Dener used self-promotion to value his brand and become the main reference for haute couture in Brazil. He mastered the art of personal marketing, creating stories so engaging that not even his friends or the press dared question. Parties at the designer's house were attended by celebrities such as Elis Regina , Ronaldo Bôscoli and the First Lady, Maria Teresa Goulart. In addition to stylist Clodovil, whose war between ateliers fueled their presence in the media. Dener Pamplona was exaggerated and snobbish, but this character was also an avant-garde communication strategy to reach his socialite audience.

A good example is Anita Peçanha (1906-1995), the model for this sketch. She was a well-known socialite in Brazil in the 1970s, married twice, first to Brazilian diplomat Oswaldo Aranha, and later to Brazilian industrialist Francisco Matarazzo. She was recognized for her exceptional beauty and elegance, in addition to promoting Brazilian modernist art and doing important work with philanthropic organizations.

Dener Pamplona opened its first atelier in São Paulo, in the 1960s, when Rua Augusta was beginning to become the fashion catwalk, and it marked a radical change by creating clothes for socialites at a time when Paris was the fashion reference and Brazilian stylists only copied French creations. He avoided easy copying and tried to create unique clothes for each customer according to their physical appearance, age, personal preferences and the demands of the country's tropical climate. His brand was considered the first of its kind in Brazil and is still remembered by specialists as an icon of Brazilian fashion, before the invasion of foreign and global brands.

In this context, this large drawing - the first found in a decade - becomes a historical document for those who love fashion. Large format, with lots of details and in excellent condition, what also caught my attention was the handwritten explanation “White with embroidery” and the artist's large signature.