Vivetta Ponti has set the bar high, staging original shows — one saw ice skaters model looks on the rink – and collections full of offbeat, baroque touches such as bejewelled hands squeezing glittering nipples on shirts or denim jackets.
Since she founded her brand in 2009, Ponti has brought a whisper of the unexpected to Milan with her whimsy, subversion and historical, pop culture and artistic references.
This season, whimsy came in the form of polka dots — large and small, shiny, fuzzy or flat — on everything from a feathery pink bubble coat, to a curvy cocktail dress, to a pair of kitten heel boots.
Ponti chose dots “because they are very feminine, graphic — and common. I wanted to play with their shapes, and mix them with feathers and embroidery,” said the designer, who was working a cool ’50s collegiate look at the show, wearing a pleated burgundy skirt, an oversized, blue-and-white striped shirt, and loafers with scrunched-down socks.
When she wasn’t spilling her dots over sheer tops, trousers and little draped Minnie Mouse dresses, Ponti was adding bright, crosshatch or flower patterns to youthful silhouettes, such as A-line coats; trouser suits, and pencil skirts.
There were some distinctively Vivetta pieces here, including black dresses and skirts adorned with fat white roses and bright green stems; bra tops with flowers in full bloom, and the feathery, spotted bubble coat.
But the collection wasn’t as interesting or exciting as past ones, and the dots just didn’t connect for this young Milanese talent.
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