Don't be deceived by the Italian surname; it's her husband's. Adrienne Vittadini, the former fashion designer, is Hungarian-born. And to judge from her many years of roaming the globe, you could say that travel has defined her life. When she was twelve, during the 1956 Hungarian revolution, she and her family fled their native land for the United States. There were many trips back to Europe to see relatives, but Vittadini claims she didn't catch the travel bug until she spent part of a college year abroad in Paris and Florence, interning at the fashion houses of Louis Féraud and Emilio Pucci. On holidays she and a friend went exploring on their student Eurail passes. "Oh, Capri in the '60s," Vittadini says, sighing, "Madrid, the Prado, Majorca. To see these places when you are young and first on your own makes a great impression."
A few years later, as a freelance fashion designer, Vittadini returned to Florence, where she met Gianluigi "Gigi" Vittadini, of the Milanese pharmaceuticals clan. Within a year she was married and living in Italy's fashion capital. She continued to work as a designer after taking a year and a half off to accompany her new husband on his business trips to distant spots. "The first time I went to Bombay, it was with Gigi," she recalls. "The energy of the place was incredible. We were in Beirut together too. I can't tell you what a splendid city it was in the 1970s: imagine Switzerland on the Riviera but with an exotic air. And we visited Tehran during the reign of the shah."
Sensing that emerging career women were ready for a fresh approach to dressing, Vittadini and her husband launched her knitwear label, which they named for her, in the United States in 1982 and soon put a sweaterdress in every working woman's closet. Despite having a fast-growing business, Vittadini still managed to travel widely, decorating her homes both here and in Europe with textiles and accessories sourced on her journeys. In 1995, she was elected to Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed Hall of Fame. The following year, the couple sold their company and turned their creative and entrepreneurial talents to designing and building architecturally distinguished vacation properties to sell in Sarasota, Florida, and Livigno, in the Italian Alps (they also have homes in both places and in New York City; Water Mill, Long Island; and Milan). When Vittadini is talking about her most recent trip, describing the people and places that inspire her, it quickly becomes clear that this is a woman who just can't sit still.
Did traveling have an effect on your fashion designs?
Oh, yes, because I love textiles so. I started going to Hong Kong to supervise production in the 1970s. While I waited for samples to be made, I would fly off to some exotic place, like Bali or Nepal. I was fascinated by the local markets and all the folkloric things. You could see how the designs had been chiseled into something very sophisticated through the ages. The Nepalese women were so chic, with their wonderful little earrings all in a row and their stylish bracelets.
How did women from other cultures stimulate your creativity?
In Senegal in the '70s, I was struck by how lovely the Senegalese women were, with their long necks and their graceful way of moving. I liked how they mixed textiles and how they carried colorful baskets on their heads.
Do you have a favorite destination?
That's hard. I'd say Africa, for the light, and India, because it appeals to my artistic soul. I always think of India as the place where color started; the vegetable dyes there are beautiful. You look at Indian prints and see the inspiration for paisleys and Provençal fabrics. But it's so difficult to single out one place; Turkey and Morocco are also extraordinary. Another place I adore is Petra.
How do you choose a destination?
My favorite trips combine culture and nature. I like places where we can have fabulous swims and take in terrific markets and antiquities, like Sicily, where we went recently and which has such a rich cultural mix. We visited a cathedral in Siracusa that had been a Greek temple that the Normans, Spaniards and Moors each left their stamp on.
Now that you've sold your fashion company, do you still collect textiles?
I can't help myself. When I was going to India not long ago, I asked fashion colleagues to give me the names of some textile suppliers. There was a long line of them outside my hotel room the night I was leaving, and I saw them all. I was haggling over embroidered pashminas and saris until I had to leave for the airport. It was so much fun.
Has your new work, designing homes, influenced what you look for in your travels?
I like to see everything I can. The antiques shopping in Brussels is amazing, and Brugge has incredible design. Berlin, too, is inspiring for architecture and has such wonderful museums. You're accumulating a visual archive within you. Now with digital cameras, it's so easy to make a library of images you can draw on later.
Do you do a lot of planning before a trip?
I do tremendous research, and I think it's essential to hire great guides. Gigi and I usually take our big trips with friends, which makes them more fun, because then we have shared memories.
When you travel, are there special things you pack?
I have a little kit I always take. It includes bottles of antibiotics, packets of Advil, antibacterial cream and a travel hair dryer. And I never leave without my old Issey Miyake raincoat, which rolls up; a rain hat; and a tiny umbrella.
What about clothes?
I build my wardrobe around one or two colors; in the winter it's ivory or black and in the summer, white. And I work from the bottom up, choosing shoes first. I bring one sexy shoe, one in-between (like a nice loafer) and a good walking shoe, maybe a Hogan, a Tod's or a Puma. You don't want to walk on cobblestones in sandals, and when you spend time in museums, you need support if you're going to feel fresh at the end of the day. I layer my clothes, and for variety I pack colorful tops. In the wintertime, I often wear Aspesi down shirts, because you can layer them or use them as pillows. Of course, that's my wardrobe for Paris or London; for Africa it would be entirely different.
Vittadini's Travel Tips
Rajasthan, India
Where to Stay: The opulent Taj Lake Palace, in Udaipur. Rooms from $630; 866-969-1825; tajhotels.com. The Devi Garh, an 18th-century fort palace with sumptuous suites, in the village of Delwara. Suites from $340; 011-91-2953-289211; oberoihotels.com.
Where to Shop: In Jaipur, Rajasthali (M.I. Rd., near Ajmeri Gate), a government market for fine textiles and crafts; the Bapu Bazaar (between Sanganeri and New Gates); the Nehru Bazaar (west of the Bapu); and the Silver & Art Palace (313-A Old Amer Rd.; 011-91-141-2635722). "I bought a beautiful antique tapestry of Krishna at the Silver & Art Palace," says Vittadini. In Udaipur, don't miss Mayur Arts (Suraj Pole; 011-91-141-2528931), which specializes in antique miniature paintings.
Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium
Where to Stay: Le Dixseptième, Vittadini's latest hotel discovery in the city. A magnificent town house, it was the residence of the Spanish ambassador in the 1700s (hence the name). The twenty-four individually decorated rooms are named after Belgian painters; the suites have sitting rooms and fireplaces. Rooms from $260; 25 Rue de la Madeleine, Brussels; 011-32-2-517-1717; ledixseptieme.be.
Where to Shop: Kanaal, outside Antwerp, where Axel Vervoordt exhibits a stunning array of art, objects and antiques, both European and Asian, in the austere spaces of a renovated industrial complex. 15–19 Stokerijstraat, Wijnegem; 011-32-3-355-3300; axel-vervoordt.com. "Belgium is the place to shop for antiques in Europe," says Vittadini, who also suggests visiting Brussels's Place du Grand-Sablon on the weekend, when an antiques fair is held there.
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