Salvatore Ferragamo
In recent years, Salvatore Ferragamo has become synonymous with elegant yet conservative collections, often with a bourgeois spirit.
However, that type of attitude doesn’t really reflect the vision of Salvatore Ferragamo himself. The founder was a visionary from a humble background who plied a forward-thinking, revolutionary and highly creative approach to fashion.
For fall, creative director Paul Andrew got into that experimental mind- set, presenting a young and imaginative collection.
“We pushed boundaries forward in a big way,” the designer said during a preview. He referred not only to the big production behind the digital showcase, which combined virtual realty techniques and physical filming, but also to the lineup itself.
In keeping with the brand’s core business, leather played a major role, but Andrew used it in a range of fluorescent and bold colors, including green and orange, which gave shorts suits and unfussy coats an eye- catching, irreverent look.
The video depicted models striding through a futuristic New York City before entering a tunnel that transported them into the present: in this case, the show space of Milan’s Rotonda della Besana venue. Military references and sporty accents combined in the futuristic lineup, bringing to mind movies such as “Matrix” and “Gattaca.” But it felt positive and optimistic.
Capes, pants and jackets in bright, biodegradable polyvinyl chloride were paired with technical tops and bodysuits with graphic intarsias, while knitted catsuits and dresses, featuring seethrough effects, offered a new take on camouflage.
The high-tech, sci-fi vibe was warmed up by fluid draped dresses, soft tailoring and the artisanal knitted sets and dresses with cascading fringes.
Leather goods included young and fun mini top-handle bags and soft hobos in candy colors, while shoes spanned from Space Age biker boots and scuba sneakers to more feminine styles with the brand’ archival F heel sparkling with rhinestones.
With this collection, Andrew projected the Salvatore Ferragamo brand in a more fashionable and younger dimension, reacquainting the Florentine fashion house with its original spirit.