There are no mood boards pinned on walls at Ermanno Scervino’s backstage. He’s actually one of the few designers who doesn’t rely on a heap of images artfully assembled to justify his collection’s references. Showing off his prowess when digging into obscure archives is just not his thing. His manners are old school, gentlemanly, and rather charming; when asked about the inspiration behind today’s show, he gave a very polite, very succinct answer: “Beauty.” When he tried to expand on the concept, he could only reiterate it. “Beauty is the only thing that inspires me. Beauty with modernity but zero vulgarity!”
To drive home his point, Scervino played around the idea of lightness, transparency, and delicacy. Volumes were as fluffy as soufflés, airy concoctions of silk organza, embroidered lace, or habotai silk, often worked into fine plissés soleil or honeycomb motifs, with a nod to lingerie-inspired dressing. To fully appreciate the exquisite techniques of execution, one needed to really inspect the looks up close. An eau de nil masculine suit was made of embroidered lace mimicking the texture of astrakhan; gold was sprayed or dusted on lace and cut into a demure midi dress. Velvet devoré with abstract floral patterns made for a couple of ’40s-inspired, fluid dresses cut asymmetrically on the bias, their plunging necklines trimmed with diamanté appliqués. They looked seductive and highly desirable.
The delicate palette of cerulean, aqua, blonde, and nude further highlighted the dreamy, hyper-feminine mood. Elsewhere, a more substantial allure counterpointed the ethereal lightness: masculine, oversize shirts in striped, crispy poplin were worn nonchalantly over lace-up shorts and brassières. They looked assertive yet tasteful, spicing up the sugary factor with a younger, sexier vibe.