Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XIX

1 7 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Of course, Ferragamo is a house that has roots firmly planted in the footwear industry, and it has not forgotten its lineage here. The shoes are playful, once again thanks to Giornetti’s nature instilled in the collection. He is experimenting here and it does pay off; the showstopper here was the pair with parabolic heels, a play on Ferragamo’s famous rainbow wedge. Geometry is common amongst this collection, and Giornetti has explored the idea with unerring confidence. It’s obvious here in the high-waisted leather or tweed pleated skirts spliced with sheer chiffon inserts, intarsia knits with athletic armbands of colour, punchy stripes on hemlines of blanket skirts, and fluid silk dresses made up of vertical coloured panels. There is mink here also, strips sewn together to create a tabard – even woolly capes and ponchos were knitted horizontally. As though to emphasise the point, the pattern on the catwalk was geometric. This has been a good year for Salvatore Ferragamo: the brand’s chief executive Michele Norsa recently announced a 6 percent rise in revenue – around € 1.3bn – and that has bred a sense of cheerful optimism clear in the pieces of this collection. It is possibly not as unique as Giornetti intended. but little is; these are motifs and aspects we have seen before, from the monochrome colours to the knitwear dipped in autumnal hues, but somehow every one of these well-worn, recognisable constructs came together in a collection that gives them all a new, rich vitality. His chosen accessories and functional embellishments also gave the ensembles a new spin. The use of big resin buttons with circle bull’s eye designs made what could have been flat and traditional playful and eccentric; the belts that were twisted and folded around the waist gave everything a three-dimensional feel. This is a successful collection for Giornetti, which is sure to be a relief for him. He has created something that should be respected, and is sure to see fans and customers rushing to refresh their autumn/winter wardrobes.