Viviano’s spring show opened with a funereal procession of sharply black tailored blazers, coats, bralettes and skirts, many of which had been adorned with black roses. The flounce of dress-up-box tulle and richly layered ruffles that the brand has made a signature emerged more as the show went on (most notably in a giant green dress that looked like the kind of thing Arcimboldo’s Vertumnus might wear if he were a drag queen) but largely this collection was one rooted in restraint—at least in the Viviano universe.
It unfolded throughout the sunlit corridors of Tokyo’s Ogasawara-Hakushaku-Tei, a Spanish-style former Count’s residence that fit the swooning romance of Viviano’s mood to a tee; “La Vie En Rose” played over the speakers for the finale as all the models filed out to the gardens outside, the grassy greens of the tulle interspersed with mint sequins, candy pink, lilac ruffles and the closing lily-white bridal look, making up a human bouquet on the lawn.
“We put so much work into this season, and as I was working I realized that fashion and gardening are the same,” designer Viviano Sue explained after the show. “It’s about putting love into the plants and the flowers so that they grow and bloom.” He called the collection “My Garden” and intended it as a message of love and acceptance: “It’s a celebration of women, no matter who you are or where you’re from or how you’re raised.”
Sue’s mind has been focused on growth in other ways, too. Viviano is steadily building its fanbase with each season, and launched its first menswear collection this summer to let the boys get in on some of the fun, frills and all. Speaking about the stream of sable at the start of today’s show, Sue explained that it was intended to reflect a kind of coming of age for the brand. “Why we put the black first, and the tighter skirts and shapes, is because they’re a little bit more adult than what we’ve shown before,” he remarked. “We wanted to make the point that Viviano is not just a cute girl anymore! We’re growing up. And we are fierce.”
