Vionnet is pleased to announce the opening of its first italian boutique in Milan, on December 16th, 2011.

Vionnet is pleased to announce the opening of its new Milan boutique, the storied label’s very first directly owned flagship store in the world. Located at Corso Monforte 16, in the heart of the city’s design district, the store presents a showcase of the world of Vionnet as well as homage to the brand’s legendary founder, Madeleine Vionnet.  Situated on the ground floor of Palazzo Premoli, the store offers a seamless link to the brand’s headquarters, showroom and artisan-filled atelier that are located in the upper floors of the same building.

Barbara and Lucia Croce, creative directors of Vionnet, collaborated to ensure that the powerful influence of Madeleine Vionnet has infused every element of the 220 square meter space. Rigorous lines coupled with rich materials, like marble and brass, refer back to the renowned Parisian atelier of Avenue Montaigne opened by Vionnet, a potent reference of French fashion from 1912 until 1939. Carefully honed details reference the work of Thayaht, the Italian Futurist whose artistic and design collaboration with Vionnet spanned two decades.

The thin borders of oxidized brass that outline glass cabinets, consoles and display cases, for example, closely replicate the Vionnet fragrance bottle designed in the 1920s from Boris Lacrox.  The store’s striking geometric floors are composed from sheets of three types of marble (white Carrara, Turkish brown and black Spanish Marquinia) in an intarsia formation that recalls Madeleine Vionnet’s inlaid techniques. The richness of the floors together with custom made display furniture crafted from hammered brass and Macassar ebony, is counterbalanced by the vertical simplicity of clean walls and void passageways.

The space’s stark white walls and dramatic high ceilings underline a sense of modernism. Dressing rooms, lined with satin walls, velvet poufs and plush carpet, are rendered in a warm sand tone.  Brass rimmed glass boxes, recessed into the walls, display the brand’s shoes and handbags.  The space’s muted yet luxuriant color schematic offers a blank canvas that allows the bold color of the clothes and accessories to speak for themselves.

The custom made furniture, including antiqued wall-mirrors with oxidized brass trim, is complemented by vintage pieces sprinkled throughout the space.  A dramatic Stilnovo chandelier and two Borsani spear-shaped brass standing lamps are paired with an early 1960s curved couch and arm chairs covered in a taupe colored velvet. Small irregularly shaped tables, another nod to Thayaht’s work, feature cement tops and hollow iron bases.

In the rear section of the store a Salotto is dedicated to Vionnet’s unmistakable eveningwear.  With discreet pocket doors allowing the area to become completely privatized, this space will also cater to the House’s new Demi-Couture program that allows customers an exclusive personalization service. Demi-Couture customers will be catered to by the highly skilled tailors working in an adjoining atelier, another preservation of the hand-crafted tradition and heritage of Vionnet.

To celebrate the opening of the Milan boutique, Barbara and Lucia Croce designed a limited edition necklace with an oxidized brass numbered plate featuring the house’s historical logo, that will be available exclusively in this store.

Vionnet, Corso Monforte 16, Milan, Italy, +39-02-49682563 www.vionnet.com