Federico Piaggi and Stefano Citron said their starting point for the new Gianfranco Ferré collection was Herb Ritts' photographs of classic Ferré looks and indelible images of Gia Carangi, the tragic supermodel of the late seventies and early eighties whom Angelina Jolie famously played in an HBO film. Gia, the stories go, was deliriously sexy, and as befits their muse, this show today did have a sultry edge. Draped dresses, blouses, and jackets gave the impression that they'd slip right off with one quick tug of the giant leather obi belts that cinched them. Skirts also flashed skin; one slit was so high it required shorts underneath.
Asymmetric flourishes were a key element in the Ferré oeuvre, but where the late designer often chose stiff architectural fabrics, Piaggi and Citron were more inclined to use fluid ones, like hammered silk, enver satin, and the electric blue Lurex-shot jersey of the show-closing jumpsuit. Nearly everything glistened, which lent the collection a glitz that didn't let up. This was a satisfying collection in many ways, but you couldn't help but feel that Piaggi and Citron's work would connect with a bigger crowd—which remains an issue for this Italian label—if they eased off the shine now and then and turned their mind more to clothes made for every day.
