Collections —Woman / Prêt-à-Porter

“I began designing this collection under the influence of a particularly strong and yet vague desire: that of expressing a feeling of lightness, the soft whirling of knit and fur, the silent force of certain colors… beige, black, white, gray, red… A series of classic shades which made a connection in my mind with materials in no way the unusual.Materials close of texture and yet with relief effects, finely designed but not with prints, soft while not limp. Materials which find their expression through volumes. Plays of assimilation, with precise optical references… I liked the idea of underlining an instinctive inclination for eccentricity, though downplaying it through a sporty spirit…The hat which comes down to cover eyes because perhaps without makeup, the trench cinched by a perhaps mannish belt, perhaps in georgette, perhaps a scarf with fringe. Tunics for all occasions, all in beige, all as comfortable as a djellaba… Working in this way, I recognized feeling a deep desire for seriousness, one neither static nor boring… I grew distinctly aware of how the conventional offered me infinite possibilities for intervening in an anomalous way…”

Gianfranco Ferré

Along paths of illusion and secret parallelisms white and black develop naturally into zebra stripes. Camel full and dense moves and sways turning into magical spots of mysterious origins. The gray of flannel with its inherent marbling crosses into the profound creases of the elephant amidst endless pleats and tiny wrinkles. Brown takes on the transparency and plasticity of ostrichskin thanks to new techniques, veils, point d’esprit.

In the spirit of invention, as with the wondrous Henri Rousseau, called the “Douanier,” foxes in inlays and prints create new spotted effects naturally. Zebra puffs up voluminous, intertwining fox and fake fur. Tiger emerges from the pure union of various furs. Lapin, lined in georgette, comes in a jaguar print.

On the edge of fantasy, between imagination and memory, the real fake plays back and forth with the fake real. In mix with tweed, python forms indefinite surfaces, scale upon scale. Cut in strips and set on knit, crocodile reveals a supple nature. Is open for reinvention also with quilted velvet and printed gazar. Fringed, Agnona fur borders sweaters, scarves and gloves. Inlaid, zebra lines the easy jacket in a dressing-gown style. Or animates the trench in a pony print.

In search of elective affinities between color and form, the silhouette darts compact, all opaque and all shiny. Gray drowns in the sweetness of cashmere and mohair. Classic men’s zigzag designs have the new body of knit. The strong, intense nuances give emphasis naturally to the softest of suede skirts, to the moiré trench and to the robe-coat knotted at waist.

In mind… the elegance of a winter evening: the shirt, in crêpe de chine, features necklines, openings ever in an about-to-slip-off effect. The gazar skirt, in crocodile or python, sets off the tiny T-shirt more precious than a jewel. The body-skimming dress comes with a ring-scarf collar. The iridescent fur-trimmed taffeta coat is worn like a stole, thrown over shoulders.