RIMINI, Italy — “Io Ci Sono.” In English, “I am here.”
That was the statement Alberta Ferretti wished to make with her resort 2024 show on Friday evening at Castel Sismondo in Rimini.
The message was spelled out on blue T-shirts the designer and 32 volunteers who helped assist the Emilia-Romagna region, which was recently hit by widespread floods, wore to close the show, to cheers and clapping from guests and onlookers assembled around the town’s main central square.
“The entire proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will be donated to charity,” said Ferretti ahead of the show. The designer did not hide her concerns and inner wrangling over whether to stage the show given the circumstances.
“It has been a very difficult moment and until the very last minute I was afraid of making a mistake with a show now, when the nearby area is suffering. But the regional and national authorities insisted I go ahead to prove that the territory is recovering.”
To be sure, Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanché was among the several government figures attending the event. Rimini and the surrounding area appeared to have returned to its normal daily routine, with tourists already flocking the town and locals alike enjoying the sunny day.
Ferretti first thought of staging a resort show in Rimini three years ago but the project was scrapped due to the pandemic, and the designer said there were several reasons for choosing the town. “It’s an opportunity to allow so many seamstresses and artisans that work with me in this area who don’t travel to Milan to see my show,” she explained. In fact, the square surrounding the 15th century Castel Sismondo was teeming with hundreds of people.
A second reason was Ferretti’s desire to pay tribute to legendary director Federico Fellini, who hailed from Rimini and who contributed to the fame of the town, also known for its sandy beaches and nightlife. Castel Sismondo houses a museum dedicated to Fellini, and images from some of his most iconic movies — including Anita Ekberg’s dip in the Trevi Fountain with Marcello Mastroianni in “La dolce vita” — were projected on the walls of the building during the show, to the soundtracks of the films and the director’s own observations on the loudspeakers.
However, Ferretti, who was born in Gradara, a 40-minute drive from Rimini, underscored that the collection was not inspired by Fellini. “This is an homage to him. When I was a young woman, to me he was mythical, a man known around the world, representing Rimini in a dreamy way through his own poetry and truth, where anything could happen,” mused the designer.
There were, though, a few floor-length hooded mantles reminiscent of those seen, for example, in Fellini’s 1976 film “Casanova,” although monochromatic and less ostentatious — sparkling in a deep brown reminiscent of the castle’s stones, for instance.
In fact, “excess has never been part of my vocabulary,” said Ferretti.
The collection was quintessentially Alberta Ferretti, and she remarked on this “precise style” that has defined her career.
“I wanted to fully respect my own style, a quality that lasts in time. I like it when my clothes become part of a woman’s wardrobe and stay there, becoming part of her life. And just like watching a movie again and again can lead you to find new meanings, the same happens with the clothes, extensions of your personality.”
Ferretti timed the show to begin at sunset, at around 9 p.m., and the models walked from the castle onto a cross-shaped runway that included glass platforms on pools of water. It all contributed to a stirring moment.
The outline of the castle was revisited in a light print on several opening looks, feather-light chiffon gowns. The colors of nature were reflected on the sand and bronze shantung pantsuits and suede skirts, or on a feminine vest worn over iridescent pants; on the blue cape and dress embellished with a pattern reminiscent of the bottom of the sea, and on the aqua green evening gowns.
Sleek tailored belted trenches floated in the evening breeze. A white sartorial jacket was shown with a long skirt with a deep slit in the back. A beautiful evening gown glittered with a metallic mesh on the naked back. Ferretti’s evening dresses were an ode to femininity, sparkling with sequins, with discreet cutouts and as light and sensual as can be.
After the show, guests proceeded to the beautiful Neo-classic 19th century Teatro Amintore Galli, where dinner was served on the stage for yet another local experience.
As reported, the brand’s parent Aeffe Group said it will make a donation benefiting associations active in the Emilia-Romagna area, where it is headquartered, as well as organize a charity auction for top clients of Alberta Ferretti’s special archival pieces.
The group, which also counts the Moschino, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Pollini brands in its portfolio, has reached an agreement with its employees to donate the equivalent of one hour’s work, with the company making a further donation of equal value.
