Collections —Man / Accessories

“When I began designing the collection, pacing it according to particular moments and occasions, I realized that emphasis fell clearly on concepts of freedom and simplicity, reinforced by the determination to reread habitual formulas of dressing in a precise logic of substance and ease. This is why I sought to ‘correct’ the formal nature of certain canons with sporty accents, a strong bent for comfort which translates into a looser line and some keenly practical details. Thus the white&black tweed sportjacket comes with a handy vest, sharp bellows pockets, plus game-bag bellows in back. Perfectly rigorous of construction, the vest is nevertheless in techno-fur and fits over the jacket very nimbly.
To render shapes all the easier, I hollowed out shoulder-pads and paddings, leaving only a slight gathering at shoulders that awards the line of the jacket an utter naturalness. Pursuing a radical logic, I made the jacket openly oversize: not simply loose-fitting but extralarge, when worn over a turtleneck pullover. Otherwise, so slim and lean as to seem mere lining on the bod – in pastel hues which I like to call Austrian in that they remind me of the colors of Augarten Porzellan.
Moving beyond standard styles (blousons, parkas, bombers mostly), I forged an unusual bond between business and casual. In essence, I gave techno-sport features to ultraclassics of the male wardrobe while highlighting the need to keep snug and warm in below-zero temperatures. For example, I took the usual urban overcoat – whether in glen plaid cashmere, black&white pinstripe or tweed – and with thermal padding turned it into a duvet. Always to beat the cold, I padded jackets in lighter fabrics, too. As a surprise, I did a tailored denim coat, then paired it with velvet stretch pants seemingly ribbed and streaked by use. I insulated suede for boots reminiscent of old basketball shoes, adding a thick rubber sole to further counter the cold.
With deliberation, I combined signs of normality, declarations of eccentricity, instances of alchemy. I mixed black and gray in a way at once unique, distinctive, austere. I matched flannels and cashmere, favoring the same together with velvet – so wonderfully softer, richer of texture than regular cotton. I opted very much for traditional lodens in hues of brown and fog gray, yet also for velvets and fustians in tartan version and for a camouflage print pony with vague “Habsburg” flair. I set off severe broad-lapeled midnight blue evening jackets with thick cotton stretch coats padded in burgundy leather. Along with superfine ‘hand’ knits and ties, scarves in crushed and wash-flattened mink, silk overcoats lined in openwork beaver.
They are marks of an exquisitely personal elegance which for me calls forth certain images of Gustav Mahler… with hands in pocket standing under the archway of the Vienna Opera House. Or in dark coat crossing the Old Town Square in Prague, lashed by the wind. And maybe by History…”

Gianfranco Ferré

Accessories GIANFRANCO FERRE’: Belts – Ties – Glasses – Shoes – Scarves

Fabrics: Bemberg Cupro – Bonotto – Campore – Clerici – Colombo – Ferla – Fila – Fratelli Ormezzano – Fratelli Bacci – Giuseppe Botto – Gruppo Dondi – Jackytex – Leomaster – Lessona – Limonta – Loro Piana – Manifattura Ferno – Manolo Borromeo – Mauro Spriano – Moessmer – Oreste Boggio Casero – Piacenza – Pontoglio – Redaelli Velluti – Ricceri – Serikos – Sordevolo – Tessile Sperimentale – Tessitura di Quaregna – Tessitura di Tollegno – Torello Viera – Verga

Fashion Show Production: Sergio Salerni – e20
Sound: Matteo Ceccarini