Salvatore Ferragamo SS2018 Women's Collection

Individuality. Distinctiveness. The Ferragamo SS2018 collection by Fulvio Rigoni celebrates women, exalting their multi-faceted styles, personalities and beauty. Inspired by the uniqueness of the women who wore Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. Greta Garbo, Carmen Miranda, Brigitte Bardot, Eva Peron and Marilyn Monroe, to whom the legendary shoemaker contributed in defining their elegance and allure.

“No two women are the same - I wanted to celebrate women’s individuality and style, vivid colors - ever evolving femininity, ”states Fulvio Rigoni, Design Director for the Salvatore Ferragamo Women’s RTW Collections.

Similarly, the collection is hinged on great standalone pieces with assorted silhouettes, textures, prints and attitudes that lend themselves to be mixed-and-matched liberally, according to one’s personality.

Drawing from a vast time frame – pencil silhouettes from the Twenties, fringes from the Thirties, Fifties’ full skirts, Seventies flares - each look is put together to tell a different story with femininity, quality and color as the common thread. Each one is infused with a surprise element, a modernist twist and highly-detailed touches that represent Ferragamo’s idea of “high tech, high craft.”

Quintessentially Ferragamo, the color palette features shots of geranium pink, emerald green, bright red and plum, tempered by pastels and white. Textures play a key role. Tops and wide-legged pants with a mélange effect are made with crocheted chinè cotton; perforations are micro on suede and macro on hand-painted python for a semi-transparent look, at once unexpected and vivid.

Prints are exclusive and inventive. Striped graphic prints offer an unusual 3-D effect as if different fabrics were draped, layered and twisted while the florals include a maxi flower positioned on the side or a hazy, painterly all-overall motif, at times enriched with gauzy patterned overlays for an X-ray effect.

 They appear on dresses, tops and evening gowns, in varying lengths, often asymmetrical for a more fluid, relaxed and summery elegance. High-skilled artisanship elevates the knitwear enriched with labor-intensive intarsia inserts.

The accessories add the finishing touch with small leather bags featuring gold and silver Gancini hardware evocative of costume jewelry like metal bracelet-looking handles, geometric totes and belt bags in rich choc brown.

The footwear spans from embroidered stretch booties with Ferragamo’s signature “Flower” and “Cage” heel, to embellished flat sandals and cross-over mules. Head-to-toe Individuality that crystalizes and respects the personality of each woman.

In a tribute to women and to Botticelli’s visionary expression of female beauty, the high-impact setting of the Ferragamo SS2018 show fully reflects the mood of the season. The influence of the Renaissance’s master reverberates throughout, starting from the daisy-covered lawn that carpets the runway to the exclusive light show created by Ingo Maurer.

The latter envisioned bursts of Botticellian flowers projected against the façade of Palazzo Mezzanotte, floating around gently and vividly, swirling and disappearing. Conversely, a more graphic lighting effect evokes the triangular shape of the Amo Ferragamo bottle, the new women’s fragrance unveiled in conjunction with the show.