A Celebration of Freedom at Ferragamo
Review of Ferragamo Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
On entering the set for creative director Maximilian Davis’ fall collection, there was a visceral vibe shift. Imbuing more intimacy than before, the lights were low (inspired by his time researching the photography of Man Ray) and the warmth of natural wood was used across the runway and the tiered seating of the showspace. This led to much pre-show speculation with fellow editors on whether we were about to see a move away from the strong, punchy tones which have defined Davis’ work since his appointment. Would the first look lean towards brown, or would he lead out with a statement colour such as a version of the rich purple which is currently trending alongside ‘no-nonsense navy’. It turns out he was thinking more Military-minded as the monochromatic khaki look of a wool peacoat with ultra-wide multi-stitched belt affixed to the hem led the charge. Khaki coat, khaki hosiery, and khaki patent pumps with those angled heels that will set the brand apart in the world of ‘It’ accessories.
For only his fourth season of mainline collections (in addition to two pre-seasons) Davis has found, and is demonstrating, a confident handle on the brand he now directs. A confidence that some of his contemporaries could only hope to emulate, as here was a creative mind who was focussed on running his own house, without the distractions of the industry-at-large, and today it was the 1920s – but not as we know it – which inspired a visit to the Ferragamo photography archives. Speaking backstage Davis referenced a specific photograph of Joan Crawford in a shoe store in the 1920s which led him onto the period and its birthing of “liberated identities”. Artists from the time – Hannah Höch and Man Ray – as well as Sri-Lankan photographer Lionel Wendt.
Without over-thinking it there is a design language being unveiled at the brand, based around colour to naturally build a story, and silhouettes that have a geometric pattern – squares, ovoid’s, rectangles. Those silhouettes are often then sliced through, separated, and built back together in layers or textures. Davis said that as part of his research he unearthed the works of German Dada collage artist Hannah Höch, and her technique of photomontage, which looks to have played into in today’s collection in subtle ways. Seen here as layered belts and untethered fabric strips.
Heaviness in structured wool coats offered the foundation for lightweight almost flyaway layers in the dresses underneath. Creating a fluidity in movement, in contrast to the linear rigidity and almost futuristic carved-out curvature of fall 2023. Taking it back to the 1920s, when those who would visit the speakeasy’s of the time wanted to conceal the fact that they were doing so in their finest flapper dresses, and then once inside they would liberate themselves from their outer layers, represents Davis’ idea of freedom through hyper-femininity. Here feather-weight chiffons (a fabric that is becoming a common thread between collections) were used for embellished slips, but also waisted midis. A welcome breaking of the rules around shape saw extra-wide and multi-stitched sold bands placed at the waist and cuff in sections and left loose at the ends, unconventional in the way that the brands founder came to be known. Such was his experimentation with materials, when leather became a rare material to source in the thirties, prior to the onset of Word War 2, Salvatore Ferragamo repurposed cork to create the cork sole wedge shoe – necessity really is the mother of all invention.
That heritage was carried through to today with a satin dress which appeared to be mattified – the show notes revealing this to be a lacquered organdie – but still true to its sylph-like characteristics in the way it floated around the model’s body. The use of texture to create an unexpected surface effect wholly being part of the Ferragamo DNA. Where it was most impressively interpreted was in the feathered evening dresses. Modernising a 1920s dropped waist cut in deep shades of mustard and plum, the fan of feathers decorating the bust-line referencing a visual call-back to the eras burlesque dancers. It was a modern way to reframe the flapper-style dress without being reductive or costume-y, which is not an easy thing when every variation on the design has been revived and revisited by designers for decades.
THE BUZZWORDS
State of liberation, emancipation through expression, textured winter tones
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #49
Layering glossy leather ‘scales’ in deep red is a simple distilled technique that takes a singular detail and collages it to create a visual expression of the life’s work of the fisherman whose utilitarian workwear inspired the more casual elements of this fall 2024 collection.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
Sensuality is something that I have been pushing from the very beginning, I think that this time, with looking at the 1920s, I wanted to look at how we could make it look more elevated, but also modern, which we did through the embroidery and the transparency of the fabrics”
Maximilian Davis, Creative Director, Ferragamo
THE WRAP UP
The 1920s is a period often mined by the fashion industry for reference, but in Maximilian Davis’ deep-dive into artists from the Dada movement and pioneering photographers a new mood emerged, which focussed on liberation and self-expression. Heavyweight outerwear which had a utilitarian feel concealed the contrasting lightness of transparent dresses elevated through embroidery, in reference to the necessity of covering up for the speak-easys of the time. A darker, more sensual mood was presented for fall and it was an accomplished evolution for his work at the brand
