Ferragamo

It is basically unheard of that a multi billion-dollar brand like Salvatore Ferragamo hands over its design responsibilities to a young talent with no industry record or at least recognizable number two roles at big luxury houses. But that is exactly what the new CEO Marco Gobbetti did when he hired British-Trinidadian designer Maximilian Davis last March. A very courageous step and yesterday Davis first show for the new Ferragamo showed that it is also a big risk. The setting was perfect, the new Ferragamo hotel right in the middle of the luxury triangle in Milan on Corso Venezia. Judging from the scale of the Palazzo it will be one of the most talked about hotel openings in Milan. The new logo by Peter Saville, which of course lost the Salvatore, placed elegantly in the middle for every show guest to see and all the windows covered in red. The setting was impressive, worthy of a big brand.

Unfortunately, it rained, so the overtly sexy collection by Davis with many nude torsos, skin revealing cut-outs and tailoring styled on bare skin looked misjudged to begin with. If there is a strong 90’s moment in fashion at the moment, Davis caught that perfectly well but his heavy-handed suiting and leather sportswear never took off. There were great elements and encouraging newness for the brand. The opening looks in beige with layered tailoring looked chic and restrained. Also, Davis new bag looked terrific with giant cut outs in the leather with canvas peeping through. The way he sculpts fabric around shoulders and waists is impressive and in this moment of overtly sexy clothes a promising sign for more exciting things to come. But he simply wanted too much with his 65 looks. His closing see-through column dresses were seriously out of character for Ferragamo while all the body tight jumpsuits in red at the beginning of the show felt new. In a way, this was the biggest debut of the season and considering his age and energy, we can expect Davis to have a quick learning curve.

Missoni

At Missoni new creative director Filippo Grazioli also followed the saucy theme of the season by showing the body. His dresses were slit up to the hip, mostly in black and white and abstract zebra patterns. With a pumping 90’s soundtrack and a great cast all the elements were aligned, but since nearly every single outfit was see-through revealing breasts and all, it was simply too much and a little bit out of step for Missoni which is more ethereal and dreamy. This collection is hoping that sex sells.

Etro

Marco De Vincenzo had only a few weeks to prepare his first Etro show and he did well. His appointment made clear that LVMH has its fingers in the Italian brand via investment vehicle L Catterton now as De Vincenzo is a trusted designer at Fendi and as support Dior CEO Pietro Beccari and Fendi CEO Serge Brunschwig sat front row alongside Etro boss Fabrizio Cardinali. De Vincenzo is going for a new customer which was signaled by all the cropped tops and short hemlines. In a way with the psychedelic hair and makeup the new Etro girl hangs out at Coachella. De Vincenzo stands for textile richness and will be a perfect match for the brand. Let’s wait and see what he can do with time and access to the archives. His debut felt fresh.

Bally

At Bally, the new designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, who hails from Los Angeles, said he wants to bring a Californian vibe to the Swiss brand. Unfortunately, that was in the form of clothes which reminded of his fellow L.A. designer Tom Ford. There were no new ideas for shoes or bags but typical shiny stilettos and sandals for men. The big tailoring section for men felt particularly heavy and stuffy and not in synch with a Cali vibe. But Villaseñor brings an infectious energy and cool crowd to Bally.