When Vittoria Ceretti steps on the runway, one can practically hear the collective intake of breath. From windswept romance at Proenza Schouler to graphic cool at J.W.Anderson, the 18-year-old Italian stunner has emerged as the definitive model-of-the-moment, with her fine cheekbones and jewel-like hazel eyes effortlessly accenting the Spring season’s wares. With Milan Fashion Week kicking off tomorrow, her momentum is set to explode.
It’s a bit of a homecoming for Ceretti, who moved to Long Island City last spring but hails from the Italian town of Brescia and spent her childhood traveling to the big city. “My first show was in Milan,” she tells me of her debut, which came not long after she won an Elite Model Look contest at 14. “It was [for designer] Kristina Ti—I was super-stressed because I was so little, but it was a lot of fun.” From there came a long string of collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana, which put her classically beautiful features on next-level display, and then two years ago, her first global push, completing the famed month-long, four-city tour. Back in Milan, she’ll make time to stop by Corso Buenos Aires for a heaping plate of seafood and loads of pizza (“I don’t really do healthy snacks!”), in between a mounting lineup of shows. Last season, she graced Prada for the first time, checking a major name off her personal list of goals. “I’ve always wanted to walk Prada, since I’m Italian,” she says. “It was really a big thing for me.”
Sporting a bare face (“simple eyes, simple everything”) and a darkly romantic lip for the label’s Fall 2016 show, Ceretti described the makeup as a rather elevated take on her own everyday look. “I don’t really do beauty,” she offers with a laugh. There’s a nameless drugstore soap to wash her face with, and a Dolce & Gabbana cream she has loved for ages: “My skin breaks out easily, and this one is perfect,” she explains. For hair, her sleek lengths are plied with conditioner and loosely air-dried au naturel. “If I’m going out and want to go crazy, I put on mascara—and that’s it,” she says. Not like she needs anything else.
