Alberta Ferretti: Milan's Queen of Romance

 

 ITALIAN fashion designer Alberta Ferretti learned her trade from her mother, a dressmaker from a small coastal town in Italy.  But it was not designing dresses that first gave Alberta her name in the fashion industry.  It was with a small BOUTIQUE she owned where she sold the likes of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace that gave her notoriety.

Alberta began designing in 1974 with her signature line debuting in Milan in 1981.  Her skill with cutting delicate fabrics and creating BEAUTIFUL structures and soft silhouettes have all contributed to her being known as one of the most INVENTIVE designers in Milan.  She creates goddess-like evening dresses using a blend of femininity, romance and function which has seen her designs become synonymous with ELEGANCE and ethereal beauty.

Alberta's gowns feature romantic flourishes and make the wearer look and feel like a divine goddess.  Her designs have long been RED CARPET favourites among Hollywood's stars with fans found in Salma Hayek, Winona Ryder, Uma Thurman, Natalie Portman and Sarah Jessica Parker. 

"When there's any drift toward ROMANCE and softness in the air, Alberta Ferretti, Milan's queen of chiffon, is going to catch it one way or the other." - from Style.com

"For me it's very important not to lose perspective when you become famous.  I work all day. I'M A REAL WOMAN. I cater for different needs. I'm not tall and I'm a bit, shall we say, rounded.  I understand such problems and always design clothes that I myself would like to wear." - Alberta Ferretti

 Alberta Ferretti

Known for her ultra romantic flourishes and her divine GODDESS gowns, Alberta Ferretti's work is a master class in the art of feminine draping and her Autumn-Winter 09 collection is a vision of rich jewel tones in SUMPTUOUS silks, jersey, and chiffon; which the designer has peppered with delicate touches including beading, accordion pleats and knotting.

Alberta started her DIFFUSION line Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti in the late 90's which is a lower priced edition of Ferretti's signature line, intended for younger women.

Ferretti has a showroom in MILAN, but she lives in the village of Cattolica where she designs in studio.  She also has a business, Aeffe USA, which she co-owns with her brother Massimo which produces and distributes clothing by Moschino, Rifat Ozbek, Jean Paul Gaultier and Narcisco Rodriguez.

This Alberta Ferretti gown features a mythology print and is designed with a knotted waist and bustier support.  The FLOWING style is constructed from ORGANZA and the price? $US4,926 (from Net-A-Porter.com).  Whoa.

Ferretti's shoes are designed and made with the same FEMININITY and flair for detail that her gowns possess.

Ferretti's Spring-Summer 09 Ready-to-Wear collection featured shorts (one of my favourite things) and CUTE little flapper mini-skirts.

Looking at hundreds of Ferretti's designs on Style.com, it occurred to me that Italians just have a WONDERFUL way with fabric design, don't you agree?  No wonder so many of the fashion industry's textile design and manufactureres are Italian.

Alberta Ferretti's designs show off her incredible attention to DETAIL and the embellishement that goes into every piece she creates.  I adore her colour palate also.  These gowns below of LILAC and MINT look like italian gelato - mmm delicious! 

Alberta Ferretti consistently creates WEARABLE and beautiful collections, she is obviously a WOMAN who loves to dress women in feminine, SEXY outfits.
Again, whoa.


Ciao for now,
Hx

Sources: AlbertaFerretti.com, Style.com, Net-a-Porter, Google.