Samanta Virginio presents The Vixen Garden, her debut collection since graduating from womenswear design at Central Saint Martins. Made in Italy using the finest Italian silks and yarns, The Vixen Garden is a capsule collection of 10 head to toe ensembles, comprised of fifteen separates. Samanta also introduces accessories and jewellery. 

Continuing her theme of dual muses, Samanta’s latest offering draws inspiration from Virginia Oldoini, Contessa Castiglione via Pretty Woman’s Vivian Ward – both women courtesans of audacious femininity and masterful self-construction through style. The Vixen Garden is a collection of wearable high glamour for the daring, self-possessed woman. 

 Like Samanta’s two muses, her garments are bold-yet-sensual, dual articulations of vivacious femininity. Floral accents run through the collection. The couture petal technique, uniquely developed by Samanta during her time at Central Saint Martins, is revisited. Cascades of petals edge the hem of a silk orange gown, or bloom from matcha-green bralettes. Iris purple quilted jackets and skirts blossom around the body. Hand crochet and knitted floral dresses, rendered in sustainable deadstock Italian yarn, lend a flirtatious sheer touch. 

Samanta’s graphic floral peony motif has been rendered into glass murrine which scatter a fuschsia mini-dress and adorn jewellery. These murrine – a 16th century Venetian heritage technique of slicing tubular glass – were hand crafted by Artisanal Murano glass blowing studio Wave. 

Photographer Arianna Genghini’s campaign captures the collection in its natural habitat. Samanta’s flower clad vixens are shot amongst mainstays of Milano glamour, eating pasta at Giacomo, drinking negronis at Bar Basso, promenading the Duomo.  

An admirer of the Contessa Castiglione once remarked in 1852 that ‘her self appreciation was enormous, and her frankness in regard to her beauty most amusing.’ The same could be described of Samanta’s latest collection; unabashed florals for the flaunting insouciant vixen.