Ode to Ferragamo

In a refreshing and bold break with the boring, the staid, the customary, and the uncreative, Massimillano Giornetti gives a newer, younger, fresher, and more colorful look to the Ferragamo Women’s Spring/Summer RTW collection, his first for them. These fashions present a virtual explosion of color and images, with a nod to the 70’s, as if Mr. Giornetti was paying homage to Yves Saint Laurent, but with a new twist. The collection was brilliant, perhaps best described as an ordered cacophony of color: I cannot recall seeing so many memorable, distinct, and appealing pieces in one show. I felt I had made a phantasmagorical visit to Monet’s garden in Giverny.

Mr. Giornetti was certainly staying true to the brand by giving us the scarves, shoes, and bags that made the Salvatore Ferragamo line famous.

He took images from scarves and made dresses of them — ingenious. He also put in a load of different, almost blinding, hues that would have made Yves Saint Laurent proud. The designs of Mr. Giornetti worked perfectly, in a 21st century twist for the 83 year old company.

Mr. Giornnetti started his career ten years ago at Ferragamo. This was his first collection as Creative Director, after first designing knitwear for men. It was now his time to shine and shine he did; in fact, you might say he outdid himself.

He sent down the runway a shiny sapphire pant suit that was so colourful I bet it could be seen from space. Indeed, most of the collection was literally beaming with colour, of all shades and hues, a fact I cannot stress too much.

Among my favorites was the long flowing blue green silk gown with a scarf design. The split of the gown came up to the hip and gave it a fetching flow. Another favorite was a sapphire blue midi length pencil-thin dress in tweed.

Yet another outstanding design, bursting in color as were the others, was an outfit featuring a red jacket paired with a chartreuse pink and red silk scarf pant suit. Not to be outdone, a purple silk suit teamed with the magenta blouse presented itself, and I also should not fail to mention a bright fuchsia Prince of Wales striped suit with a sarong type skirt. I just loved the way Mr. Giornetti played with the striped suits, giving them a completely new image by enlivening them with exhilarating colors that spell spring.

Truly, this was a revolutionary collection, a dare on Mr. Giornetti’s part to take us out of our comfort zones and beyond our traditional views. This is surely a man with a vision, and a colorful one at that.