written by Behind Venice, pics by Behind Venice
There is a magical place, almost the Venice Wonderland, located between the Rialto Bridge and Santa Lucia Railway Station in Venice: Atelier Nicolao, which is located in Fondamenta della Misericordia, near Madonna dell’Orto church.
Nicolao Atelier by Stefano Nicolao is one of the most historical ateliers of Venice. Since 1980 he has been realizing historical costumes that are exported all over the world as one of the highest artisan expressions of Made in Italy.
The tailoring activity began near Campo Santa Margherita. After a while, the need to expand the working space took Stefano Nicolao to move in an atelier near Rialto, where he gained experience and success. In 2006 the Atelier moved again, to another ancient part of Venice: Fondamenta della Misericordia. Here, he was able to gather the shop, the tailoring, workshops and showrooms in an elegant and vast space of 1000 square meters.
During these years, important Oscar-winning costume designers or nominees (Film Farinelli and Elizabeth, The Wings of the Dove, Merchant of Venice, Casanova) have used Stefano Nicolao and his team, their professionalism, to create important historical dresses.
In addition to the repertoire of period costumes, the atelier creates wedding and evening dresses, tailored accompanied by all the accessories that can also be rented separately.
Nicolao has created costumes for prose theaters, opera houses, films and historical parades. Beside that, for more than 10 years he made the dress for the Colombina, the girl chosen during the Carnival, who falls from San Marco’s Bell Tower the second Sunday of Venice Carnival.
The iconographic research combined with the deep knowledge of vintage cut and materials, as well as the wisdom in using them, combined with the continuous search for identification of the costume with history, ensure an artistic product that makes the Atelier Nicolao’s creations appreciated all over the world.