Updating Ferragamo’s style codes while being faithful to the Florentine house’s true colors is Paul Andrew’s job. Negotiating a tightrope between tradition and innovation was the inevitable dynamic that played out in his new pre-fall collection. It begins delivering in May, hence the summery feel of the mood board, where a series of Art Deco vintage posters for glamorous Sicilian resorts suggested a longing for warm weather and a sunny, relaxed disposition. “I love those places,” said Andrew, “and the feeling of heat on your skin.”
To highlight the Italian flair for easy formality and classic-casual elegance, Andrew also referenced black-and-white photographs of Southern Italy and Greece in the ’30s by Herbert List and the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley. “They’re sort of endless-summer kind of images,” said Andrew. He translated that sense of lightness and ease across both the women’s and men’s collections.
Silhouettes were streamlined and gently restrained, with lightweight fabrics adding a touch of softness to the collection’s unstructured precision. Tailoring had a graphic fluidity, with the subtle leather detailing that is Ferragamo’s expertise. Here, for example, stretch was added to leather to make it easy to move in, while suede was triple dyed a saturated shade of turquoise to ensure it was not only vibrant but also soft and durable. Adding to the lineup’s comfort factor was the use of no-crease fabrics, which are ideal for traveling.
Striking the right balance between feminine and masculine is crucial for Ferragamo; the two collections are connected stylewise by a streamlined approach. The same shapes often overlap, without referencing the genderless mode. Scarf-dressing is an idea worthy of further exploration in this regard. Taking cues from Ferragamo’s vast archive of prints, a long feminine dress in printed silk chiffon was translated for men into a white poplin shirt patched with two printed foulards in washed silk twill. It made for an imaginative look, breaking the collection’s sleek approach with a more inventive, visually engaging proposition.
