Sometimes it takes a wrong turn to get to the right place. Last season, Massimiliano Giornetti s experiments with cut and proportion felt forced. Deconstruction is just not the Salvatore Ferragamo way. The Fall collection he showed today hewed more classic without looking safe. It s hard to argue with the stand-up collar blanket cape in brushed plaid that he opened with, or the sleeveless black cashmere wrap dress piped in leather that came sweeping down the runway a couple of looks later.
When Giornetti did venture some risks, he restricted his experiments to the surface of fabrics—needle-punching jacquard or dipping leather pleats in metallic paint. The men s collection he showed for the label last month took a homey turn. There was a warming trend here as well, in pieces like a black wrap coat, of which only the hem was decorated with a white animal-spot pattern. Whether it was embroidered or painted, you couldn t tell, but it lent a depth and richness to the coat that felt true to this house. It was a feeling that carried through to a pair clingy ribbed-knit dresses at the end that looked brushed with gold leaf.
