“Ask yourself if you’re ready to sleep,” a voice echoed from the courtyard of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology. “Forever” by the Little Dippers started playing, and before attendees even realized it, we were inside Vivetta Ponti’s bedroom. “I imagine it to be pink and colorful, full of floral wallpapers fractured only by a window that looks outside,” the designer said, referring to her latest surreal element. “It is a symbol of appearance against reality,” she added.
Starting from her love of interior design and tapestries, Ponti reinterpreted curated furnishings and romantic draperies. The most visible motif was a recurring side-folded pair of draped curtains, multiplying their shape via many different fabrics to give continuity to the collection. A signature floral print became the mold for clothes and accessories, lavished on light materials such as cotton and silk blends. Contrasting the femininity of fluid textiles, menswear touches completed Ponti’s vision: “She’s a business woman with naive details,” she said, pointing at pinstripes and men’s suit linings against baby collars and laces.
Sleepwear emerged loudly at first glance. Pillows were transformed into light blue moiré tops and bags paired with Bermuda shorts, but the wardrobe became a whole when seen up close: It was all in the details. Transparencies, conveyed by tridimensional organza dramatic dresses, were borrowed from curtains once again, just like fringes adorning mini skirts. Moreover, a lily-of-the-valley flower embroidery morphed into its macro version on collars, shaping the hems of piqué shirts too, moving away from Ponti’s former fascination with roses. “I grew up in a household where perfumes were constantly drenching the air,” she recalled.
Patchworking was the preferred logic for accessories, with Lady Diana–inspired choker and pendant earrings worn upside down. Glass-pearl assemblies re-created tops and belts, while Vivetta’s iconic hand collar was reimagined with red stiletto nails. The ongoing collaboration with Rosantica gave birth to a house-shaped bag set with 2,500 colored crystals that stood out, featuring miniature windows, blossoming flowers and the designer’s cats. Bedroom slippers inspired ribboned kitten heels; square-toed loafers completed the wardrobe.
“My designs are meant for everyone,” said Ponti. “I imagine many different ages and personalities inhabiting my clothes.” In the showroom a few days ahead of the runway show, her mother was wearing Vivetta’s collections; on the day of the show, kids paraded hand-in-hand with models dressed a “mini me” defined version of Ponti’s designs: For the first time, Vivetta unveiled a children’s collection.
