Vivi Ponti

I was turned on to the work of Vivi Ponti by my lovely, quick-witted and soft-spoken friend Mademoiselle Robot (every time I see her I’m always surprised by how wonderfully soothing and sexy her voice is, listening to her speak is almost indecent). She interviewed the designer behind Vivetta back in August and served up a fun detailed Q&A. In fact, it was almost like a divine intervention: an avalanche of inspiring clothes just when I had reached a fashion lull. Mademoiselle Robot can be persuasive but in this case the love was immediately reciprocated. Vivi Ponti is a designer of undoubted talent to watch. She has elaborated a world for pretty, quirky preppy girls and she’s doing it with style, youthful enthusiasm and precision. I found myself investing a lot of time looking at her past collections and developing dependency issues! I confess that I even went as far as contacting her to ask if any of the pieces in her “tailored masterpieces” collection were still available. They’re not and this is an achievement of sorts: I’ve saved some money which is surely a good thing for my bank account. I wonder if Mademoiselle Robot could also see trouble coming when she first set eyes on Vivi’s clothes. The emphasis is on simple garments embellished with small details that are like the designer’s very own love tokens or personal mementoes. They serve to exquisitely sweeten the sometimes “serious” shapes and cuts. Some of my favourite pieces are shown here. They’re full of character and the weighty vintage feel is counterbalanced by the delicate and delicious collars, buttons, frills, pockets in the shape of a cat’s ear etc. There are many other treasures to be discovered, in particular the coats, and all encapsulate the same distinctive qualities. Each look is a highly captivating modern day combination of romantic etherealness, innocent heroines and technical abilities. Despite the fact that Vivi Ponti is tackling traditional pieces I find the stylistic touches irresistible and fresh. The old and the new subtly converge. They aren’t worlds apart. It’s clear that vintage pieces may have been a source of inspiration but Vivi Ponti hasn’t just meticulously observed, she has injected a contemporary spirit together with other magic ingredients to create her own authentic versions.