Salvatore Ferragamo fall 2020 men’s

So, it seems that Paul Andrew has reconsidered who and what this heritage brand will look like and who it might appeal to …. Most of it worked and yes there were some major bloopers or let’s say miscalculations on his part but as a whole it looked pretty good.

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 At lack of a better the descriptor ... the “gaucho suit” wasn’t his best idea though tempered when the gauchos were worn over normal length pants. The herringbone puffer was simply perfect and even the leather union suit had a sort of sexiness that hasn’t been seen in this brand for some time. His new take on camouflage worked in its traditional colorway and fell on its face when done in an alternate combination along with the slouchy coats.

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 What is appealing to me is that so much of the clothes, while somewhat generic, were men’s clothes of a timeless and classic nature and yet not boring. The show was styled beautifully and simply except for those sorts of balaclava knit hat but that’s minor. One other idea which should have never made it to the sample stage was those deep and I mean a deep pleated pants… a little too fashion for the brand ad not exactly what I call flattering.

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At any rate Mr. Andrew has big shoes to fill after the tenure of Massimiliano Giornetti who put the sleepy brand back on the map. Hopefully, the collection will continue to evolve on a path of wonderfully wearable clothes for men of almost any age.

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Salvatore Ferragamo fall 2019

Paul Andrew in his first official show as creative director for the house does indeed show us he has a plan for this heritage brand. It is not a revolution but a new beginning after the long tenure if Massimiliano Giornetti. The latter had a very sleek slick approach to the brand with heavy concentration on fabrics and very urbane looks. Paul Andrew on the other hand has simplified the collection, made more use of leather and injected a certain youthful aura and maybe you can call it modernity.

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The collection was heavy into leather of the most supple variety, including a leather puffer, anoraks, ponchos, jumpsuits and also using it as embellishment on coats and pants. The presentation was clean, to the point and far more in touch with the marketability aspect of the clothes and not  how many more  bells and whistles can be added which in turn  offers a much broader appeal.

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Of special interest were the blanket skirt and coat which I found especially appealing as well as the opening set of greys. While I hate that longer length, I did love the pin stripes and sort of wished that grouping had been expanded … this was a sort of tease. With collections in this souk of a Fall season, it’s reassuring to see clothes designed for actual people not people who wish to look like they are off to a costume party or freak show.

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I was also taken with the leather fronted blouse and a coat dress with leather bib front. The silhouettes ranged from sleek to relaxed to slightly …I emphasize… slightly oversized which offers a consumer a choice not  to mention offers the brand an opportunity to gain larger market share.

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This will be a collection to watch,Andrew makes full use of the logo in the most discreet way as well handbags and of course silk prints, I’m hoping to see this evolve more and more with possibly a more singular point of view.

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Salvatore Ferragamo fall 2018

I was not planning on writing this piece since I am not one to beat up someone/brand with whom I have a “relationship.” Let me define relationship here as being a friend of the brand ... that means that they were very kind to me when I first started this segment of my life and I believe that they engendered a great deal of loyalty through our “friendship,” DO NOT take this to be that in any way that I ever received or was even offered any remuneration of any kind from the brand … only a professional friendship which treated me with great respect and with the feeling that I mattered, so to speak.  

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Having said this, after having read a review of the current collection and their first dual/co-ed men’s and women’s Fall 18 presentation I felt compelled to write…. at lack of a better word ... a rebuttal of sorts to the Vogue review which I actually not only disagreed with but found offensive and even more so to be false and untrue.

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Apparently the new design powers at Ferragamo have recast the brand as a sort of me too brand instead of one that proposes its own new fashion each season. In this instance, what I mean by “me too” is that now apparently Ferragamo will look much more like Hermès, when Margiela was designing,  a bland version of Hermes, a watered down version of Bottega Veneta and worse yet some insane reimagining of Rick Owens and maybe the present day Valentino. This all now translates to generic looking, bland and uninspiring me too clothes which they seem to think their clientele is yearning for.

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From the shapeless and oversized to the scarf lining and coats ( done by Hermès for decades)  to the plain old pants and sweaters and shapeless dresses, the brand has lost its chic its fashion and what set it apart from its peers. To me Massimiliano Giornetti and his taste level and his skillset were the reasons that Ferragamo became a power house in the business of fashion… he gave the clothes a personality an urbanity and a chic … yet according to Vogue you would think he was a cancer inflicted upon the house that led to its downfall within the world of fashion … an embarrassment …. so NOT true.

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What offends me most is not the clothes which I do find to be rather anonymous and sad for the most part but I am deeply offended by the character assassination of the brand’s former designer and proposing that his oeuvre for Ferragamo was a detriment rather than an asset to the house. SHAME ON THEM!

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You be the judge... you tell me what’s  so great about this?

Salvatore Ferragamo men's spring 2018

Some will say... well that is a crashing bore of a collection but I say that Massimiliano Giornetti cast the die that remains intact as the DNA for the brand now that the baton has been passed to Guillaume Meilland. Salvatore Ferragamo has reinvented itself as an apparel brand since its true claim to fame is shoes and they have done it by offering real clothes for real people. It is my belief that they understand who their client is and how to appeal to their audience.

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For me this latest incarnation holds a plethora of wonderful pieces that … oh wait a minute while I describe them in the most profane fashion speak … wearable, ageless, salable, grown up and sophisticated. One must look past the somewhat silly casting, though not as bad as so many other brands,  and see the sprezzatura of the collection; easy understandable clothes for men. You have blazers, pants which were fuller in shape, shorts, great knits, laser cut leather/suede and you can forgive the unfortunate printed velvets although the coat is very rock n roll. If you are looking for a collection to set the fashion tongues wagging … move on, but if you want salable beautifully made nuanced classics then you have landed in the right place. A particular favorite is that “cowlish” or soft turtleneck neck line used as underpinning that just screams easy and soft.

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On the topic of favorites … polka dot shirtings, great outerwear, the cotton fisherman sweater reimagined and of course the laser cut dotted leather or suede shirts. The extra wide cuff was a nice touch although just a design flourish for the runway and how refreshing to actually see a variety of footwear including real leather shoes and not just trainers/sneakers or athletic inspired. While on that train of thought, how further refreshing not to see yet still more jogging or track pants or hoodies.

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I tip my hat to the brand and this designer especially at a time when most collections are either so bland as to induce a coma or so me too as to have lost their identity.