Revisiting the old for the new

FOR Salvatore Ferragamo’s Prefall 2017 collection, it pulls influences from the old and the new by naming British shoe designer Paul Andrew as its womenswear creative director, whose debut collection for the fashion house is marked by his digging into the company’s archives for inspiration.

Last year, according to Vogue, Mr. Andrew, who once worked for Alexander McQueen and Donna Karan, was first appointed within the brand as design director of women’s shoes. This new collection, showed in Shangri-La Plaza last week, marks his first collection with the brand, while a women’s ready- to-wear line executed by Mr. Andrew is expected to hit the runway for next year’s Fall fashion shows.

For this collection, the dig through the archives takes place in the revival of the Rainbow and Flower heel styles, both of which were executed in the 1930s when the world was first truly enamored with Hollywood glamor, a last gasp of desire before the horrors of the Second World War. The Rainbow Heel was created for the actress Judy Garland, apparently the first platform shoe created for Western consumers, showing different-colored materials appearing on one stacked heel. The Flower heel, made of rubber, is literally shaped like a flower. Other designs recall its other famous customers such as Marilyn Monroe and Eva Peron.

However, the company also looks forward to the future with inner soles, for example, made of comfortable memory foam, as well as a reimagining of the brand’s familiar Vara pumps and the Varina flats. The shoe’s distinctive bow is made more powerful by placing it on a large metal bow-shaped plaque, giving the feminine grosgrain bow a little more backbone.

According to a release, Mr. Andrew said: “My concept for the collection was simply to highlight the fundamentals that made Salvatore such a profound and groundbreaking presence in his field and to express those values through designs that are relevant to a new generation of strong, discerning women.” —