I don’t have a lot of time off,” said Paul Andrew at the Ferragamo Resort presentation, “but every July, I like to make this long pilgrimage weekend to Santa Fe in New Mexico for the International Folk Art Market. It’s not the easiest journey, but the landscapes you cross, from the flat desert to the mountains to slightly greener scenery, are exceptional and truly inspiring.” The collection’s color palette of dusty naturals, sunset oranges, and warm yellows, offset by turquoises and a play on black-and-white, looked like it could’ve come from a Georgia O’Keeffe painting.
In keeping with the elegant, streamlined approach he has introduced at Ferragamo—he calls it “sartorialism with a casual edge”—Andrew worked around a workwear-inspired silhouette. “It seems relevant to the woman I’m designing for,” he said. A djellaba-like shape was the template for a series of hooded striped tunics, paired with sporty sleeveless bombers in black satin. Djellabas were also proposed in the men’s line, worn under classically tailored dark suits. The same elongated, roomy construction was offered in a knitted vertical-wide-striped version in tones of coral, teal, and brown. The play on generous volumes was highlighted in a black jumpsuit with billowing pants, or else in an oversize hooded parka in black laser-cut suede.
In the leather grouping, one of the strongest looks was a plissé midi skirt in Santa Fe yellow, worn with a black cotton tee emblazoned with a tone-on-tone laser-etched house logo. For men, black leather took on an assertive edge, cut sharp and boxy on polo shirts and minimalist biker jackets. On a different note, one infused with a touch of romance, a dark blazer cinched at the waist and worn with a floor-sweeping pleated skirt seemed to pay homage to O’Keeffe’s idiosyncratic style; it was one of the collection’s standouts, together with an abstract take on archival foulard motifs printed on double-layered dresses that gently clung to the body, conveying a feminine, summery feel of lightness and transparency.
Andrew is finding his voice at Ferragamo, trying to shape a credible aesthetic with a luxurious timeless flavor rooted in modernity. Focusing smartly on high-end daywear, giving leather dressing a pride of place, treating archival prints with a light twist, focusing on color as a cohesive, energizing ingredient—it all seems to point in the right direction. A more daring style punch and a softer edge wouldn’t hurt, either.
