VIVETTA

Storytime: I was at Nordstrom's the other weekend because my friend needed to return a few things. But you see, I really needed to pee. So, I left and looked around for the guys' bathroom. A sales assistant saw me, pointed me in the right direction, and I went on my way. I was speed-walking, but then I stopped. Lord, save my soul. I saw the cutest display table and mannequins that I had ever seen. There was this wonderful brocade midi-skirt done in a chartreuse, paired with a shirt that had a hand-shaped collar. I literally bonded with a pair of 60 year old ladies, chattering about how cute it all was. Amazing.

The point of this story was to highlight the brand: VIVETTA. Up until now, I have never even heard of this Italian label. Established in 2009 by Vivetta Ponti, the label strives to create fun and hyper-feminine designs that are inspired by the 50's and surreal artworks. Despite my general gravitation towards minimalism, I can't help but love the cute and girly nature of Ponti's work. The clothes that we find in stores are essentially all mass-produced, taking reference from individual couture designs that we see on the runway. Designs can often get watered-down for the sake of cost or for reasons of technical complexity. Luckily, VIVETTA's are not. I applaud their designs for still retaining that couture quality even when brought to the consumer's price point. (Granted, $450 for a shirt is still expensive, but what can you do.)

I really wanted to do a "Looks for Less" kind of post, but to be honest, VIVETTA is so original that I couldn't find anything remotely similar. I mean, you can get close with 50's inspired dresses, but it'll really be a struggle for anyone to channel this particular note of estrogen-quirk with vintage finds. This just makes me love the brand all the more though. I suppose you'll just have to be satisfied with a couple of my favorite picks from their recent S/S 2015 collection.

Images via The Snobette

Don't you love it?

Alex