Rome-based designer Caterina Gatta (below) is one of fashion’s most impressive fabric sleuths. Her eponymous line, launched three years ago, is rendered in precious vintage textiles Gatta spies in specialty shops and warehouses throughout Europe. Her first score, which yielded enough Pierre Cardin to jump-start her business, was recently supplanted by never before seen bolts of eighties-era Givenchy and Versace. No matter how retro the prints may seem, Gatta finds a way to spin them into eminently modern designs.
Caterina Gatta
Her inaugural couture effort, presented earlier this year in Rome, featured butterfly-thin layers of fabric from Valentino and Lancetti whipped into massive volumes—though Gatta is happy to custom make her styles in virtually any textile at hand (caterinagatta.it).
