Salvatore Ferragamo's signature rainbow wedge made a surprise appearance at the label's Spring show today. Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti has appeared reluctant to dip into the house archives in the past. Here, he plucked the company's most famous icon (it was designed by the house founder in 1938, allegedly for Judy Garland) and gave it a subtle update in monochrome gray suede. Giornetti also riffed on the wedge's familiar architecture with an open-toe snakeskin mule. Both shoes were great looking, a strong foundation for a collection that likewise tapped into the Ferragamo heritage.
Giornetti opened with a camel-colored cape trimmed in snakeskin, the swagger of which was matched by its practicality. Snakeskin was one of the show's dominant motifs, either as the main event, in the form of a python coatdress or a mid-calf A-line skirt, or as embellishment, paneling the front of rib-hugging dresses and cropped, sporty jackets. The other big message was knitwear. Finely ribbed dresses clung to the torso before falling gently to below the knee. These were fluid and elegant—in tune with the house's classic roots. The collection could've used more color along the lines of the vivid green knit halter-neck dress near the end, but nonetheless, this was a smart outing for Giornetti.
