Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XIX

1 7 2 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I SALVATORE FERRAGAMO I f there was one overarching theme across all of the events at this year’s Milan Fashion Week, it was that the 1980s, that long lost decade of excess and experimentation, are alive and well in 2015 – flares and floods were rife on the runway, and black was the colour of choice. Every brand took hold of this idea and it was clear to see. Every brand, it seems, except Italian footwear powerhouse Salvatore Ferragamo. With creative director Massimiliano Giornetti at the helm, Ferragamo has become a brand that scoffs trends and forges its own path. It is a risky route, but Ferragamo is not a brand that has truly ever played by the rules of fashion, if this indeed is an industry that has rules. The path that Giornetti has taken the brand on is one that does not forsake the classic but avoids becoming conservative. It is a hard style to describe, somewhere on the way to minimal – lessons have been learned from Ferragamo’s earlier, more adventurous collections, lessons that are clear for all to see here. For a brand that is quickly approaching its 90th birthday, it is a curious but not unwelcome route to take. There are strong, graphic lines here, something Giornetti has done on purpose, implementing colour- blocking as a motif that is clear to see. Coats and dresses wrap around the body here, fastened with three oversized resin buttons; it’s a simple idea but one that hits the right notes. Ribbed-knit ponchos seemed energetic in their movements, in an effect which was nothing if not interesting, over fine-gauge turtlenecks and full, pleated midi skirts. Trim day dresses have been divided to form orderly rectangles with colours that complement each other. Clingy evening pieces have bare shoulders and are sliced to be asymmetric, creating a patchwork that accentuates even the narrowest of waists. Ribbed V-neck sweaters revealed a prevailing sporty edge but they were also hand painted along the lines, an unmistakable ode to haute handicraft. It is all well-executed, and much of it is thanks to that colour-blocking effect from the mind of Giornetti.