Salvatore Ferragamo Fall 2013

Scan the show notes for Massimiliano Giornetti's Fall 2013 Salvatore Ferragamo collection, and you'll notice a lot of similar words and phrases: "simplicity," "neatness," "severity," "lightness" are all there, and so is "the elimination of the unnecessary."

Yet Giornetti wasn't necessarily making a statement about stark minimalism. He was talking about strength. The garments here put an emphasis on a sharp shoulder and creating the look of a strong body with clean, straight lines. He stuck to a color palette (the notes call it "reductionist") of black, navy, white, and gray to let the cut of his clothes do most of the talking. Surface decoration was minimal — but then who needs lace and beading when you've got alpaca and beaver fur to keep warm, and unfussy silk wool dresses for warmth, ease, and mobility?