FERRAGAMO FOR ALL SEASONS
Ferragamo Fall 2010 was probably one of my favorite collections of any designer to date. It had that kind of humor that I look for in clothes but still had a strong sense of Italian tailoring. I swear to god, there’s some kind of forcefield around Italy that keeps the most seasoned tailors on the boot. Anyway, when going through the Pitti Uomo shows, I saw the linen blazer on the right. It has a strong reference to the coat from Fall, which I called all over the world for but was too late (read: I waited till it went on sale and they ran out).
What I like about this is that you see a kind of evolution in the seasons. Some designers, let’s take McQueen or Lacroix for example, use each season as a completely new canvas. Whereas others like to build on a foundation already set in place. When you look at designers like Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan or Ralph Lauren there is a very strong DNA present in each show. With Oscar de la Renta, you know to expect a lineup of sophisticated, colorful and playful silhouettes that any woman would be proud to wear. At Donna Karan, you know you’ll see mastery in drapery and a careful attention to a woman’s body. At Ralph, you’ll see an homage to true American style, whether it’s prep, native, western, victorian or bohemian. That’s not to say a McQueen or Lacroix isn’t always recognizable (because they usually are) but sometimes, you can’t string collections together so easily. McQueen’s Fall 2009 collection was a little frightening, spooky and a mirror of the gloomy recession. However, his Spring collection, Plato’s Atlantis with the famous lobster claw heels was worlds away…although it did retain that somewhat apocolyptic feeling. I wouldn’t say one approach is more favorable than the other but it’s always fun to watch.
