Fashion risks are about as hard to find in Milan this season as a day without brutal traffic — or intermittent showers.
In this sense, Maximilian Davis is bang on trend at Ferragamo, where he turned out more sleek tailoring, luxed-up casual wear, and roomy leather bags — here a sky blue tote dented on the sides, there a square weekender lit up with triple zips in silver.
There were a few more artsy and organic touches than previously — a chunk of hardware caught on a draped jersey dress, or rows of colorful beads lined up on the instep of slender, high-heel wedges.
Backstage, the designer name-checked some key figures in the Arte Povera movement, including Giovanni Anselmo, and also the Ferragamo customer, who seems to relate to his sharp suiting, graphic approach to color, and the undercurrent of mid-century glamor he introduced in his sophomore show for fall 2023.
“This season, I wanted everything to feel a lot lighter, a lot more playful and with a lot more color,” he said, citing similarities between the effortless way of living and dressing in Italy and the Caribbean. (The London-born designer has roots in Trinidad.)
This collection will be remembered for all the vivid sage green, lacquered or matte linen bonded to satin or jersey, and modernist eveningwear with a perfume of Geoffrey Beene.
Davis has something of an American sportswear sensibility, which is a compliment, as he marries practical, approachable and understated clothes with admirable finesse.
Now he just needs a bit more oomph.
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