Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XIX

2 1 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I SALVATORE FERRAGAMO T he inspiration for Salvatore Ferragamo’s autumn/winter men’s collection came from the most unlikely of places, according to the man at the helm. Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti explains that by chance he found himself in London in the summer of 2014 and paid a visit to the Tate Britain museum. There, he saw an exhibition which celebrated the folk art of the British isles. It is a comparatively uncelebrated aspect of British history, but one that Giornetti found struck a chord with him. "It was a section about soldiers convalescing during the Crimean War who’d had the time to spend creating pieces of art to send back to their families and their lovers," Giornetti explained. “A lot of the work was exquisite.” Giornetti said the art produced by these men, caught in the middle of an awful war against a Russian onslaught, stayed with him. Fast forward toMilan fashion week and we find ourselves in a dark and mysterious CGI forest, with a collection that is suitably moody and poetic. Across the catwalk, coated in the earth so ever-present, appeared the first models: long, thick knit scarves wrapped around their necks, plaid, checked outerwear buttoned up as if to fight against the cold, and classily tailored full cut trousers that finished in beautiful two-toned lace-up business shoes. Here, Giornetti explores tactile elegance to stimulate the senses. Different elements are mixed to create a fabulous design: a fairy tale story made up of fantasy and creativity. His narrative framework, fashioned by an intriguing language of symbols, animal motifs, stitches, and ties, is combined into a pristine men’s wardrobe. The wooded theme is clear, but some examples on many of the pieces are a little incongruous, whether the shaggy buffalo on a top and embroidered on a jacket, or an impromptu herd of zebras making an appearance on an overcoat. At first, the additions are jarring, but soon begin to make a curious kind of sense. Giornetti knows what he is doing, you are reassured. The centre of this universe is filled with positive resilience and virile sensuality. There is a naïveté of much of the decoration in a collection that whilst compelling, risks becoming compromised by an overreliance on enormous, clothes- obscuring scarves.