Massimiliano Giornetti finally found the right theme for his fashion aesthetic this season. His creamily deluxe brand of sartorialism never really gelled with Danish artists or Africa or any of the other objects he attempted to apply it to. According to his show notes, he was motivated by "memories of a summer in the South of France" for Spring 2011, but the parade of slouchy, silky clothes in sailor stripes and shades of navy and cream suggested living well on the Riviera in another time—say, 1926, when F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, were early colonists in the South of France. You could imagine the notoriously picky but socially insecure Fitzgerald finding some reassurance in the aristocratic smartness of Giornetti's striped, double-breasted blazer worn with cream pants and two-tone shoes of the highest quality. He might alternately find the outfit horribly arriviste, in which case it would be destined for his greatest literary creation, Jay Gatsby, a character who would no doubt look mighty pleased with himself in Giornetti's white double-breasted jacket worn with a navy shirt piped in white and a pair of wide-cut navy pants. The designer's other, less formal offerings might have found favor with Fitzgerald and his friends as well. The cornflower-blue cable knit with the white shorts, and the sailor sweaters, striped tees, and baggy navy pants had a relaxed summery feel.
A voluminous release spoke to the complexity of Ferragamo's accessories offering. But there was one vital accessory that Giornetti couldn't provide—Zelda. Too bad. She could teach Massimiliano a thing or two about letting go a little more.
