The Tamesis
“I was going through a hard time,” Vivetta Ponti recalls, recalling the time before the launch of her new brand, Venerdì Pomeriggio (meaning “Friday afternoon”). “I thought it was the end of a terrible week: you go home, make yourself a herbal tea or a glass of wine, set the table beautifully, invite friends over, and wear something you like. That’s what Venerdì Pomeriggio is.” The name, besides bearing the designer’s initials, had multiple meanings: Vivetta, she recalls, was the result of a bureaucratic mistake. Her original name was Vivì, derived from Paraskevi, the Greek word for Friday. “Friday has always felt like my name,” she added. “It’s my favorite day of the week.” Autobiography aside, Friday is a moment of pause for freedom before the obligations of Monday return. This sense of pause seems to be the structure of the entire project.
Venerdì Pomeriggio marked Ponti’s return to fashion under a different premise. There are no longer large seasonal collections or year-long sales cycles; instead, a handful of capsule collections are launched annually, released every few months and treated as chapters, with repeated silhouettes enhancing coherence. “I don’t want to chase revenue,” she explains, “I want to maintain a tasteful brand and make it approachable.” This is achieved through direct sales and a network of highly selective boutiques: “I prefer to sell shirts at sustainable prices rather than produce large collections that end up being discounted,” Ponti says.
Venerdì Pomeriggio is positioned as a genderless lifestyle brand that sees clothing as an extension of the interior: a domestic image became the starting point for the first capsule collection. The lifestyle connection became evident during the show: a dress composed of two layers of tablecloth with rich Puglia embroidery was untied from the model and draped over a coffee table. The “abito tavolino” then hides a structured petticoat, transforming it into a literal table structure at the waist. The “light skirt” transforms the chandelier shape owned by Ponti into a sculptural silhouette. A winter preview of lace, Victorian-inspired prairie dresses, bloomers, sailing collars, pajama sets and velvets coexisted as fragments of the house where Ponti’s long-time inspiration resided.
The fabrics are entirely deadstock or upcycled, sourced across Italy in limited quantities. As Ponti explains, “When I find a fabric, I get every meter left of it, so once it’s gone, no one will ever make the same dress out of the same fabric.” Indoor textiles such as upholstery florals, striped poplin and polka dot georgette were reincorporated into garments, with detailed trimmings and carefully hemmed pockets. Denim is embroidered with tiny colorful flowers; vintage leather pieces are transformed into unique garments embellished with ribbons. Every accessory receives the same treatment: Chantilly lace comes from warehouse leftovers, Filo di Scozia cotton socks are embroidered in Puglia, and jewelry comes from a vintage selection that will one day be made for customers. “It’s a completely different way of designing: first you find the fabrics, then you go back to the studio and think completely freely,” Ponti says.
