Ferragamo’s Pre-War “Generation” FW19 Collection

Paul Andrew takes us back (way back) to a shoe that changed it all

Who says 1942 was an uneventful year in terms of fashion? If you think so, let Salvatore Ferragamo’s directive creator, Paul Andrew, convince you otherwise. A few years before the end of WW2, clothes and moods were conservative and subdued. The roar of the 20s had passed leading into the depression, leading into masculine, muted, boxy suits for women and likewise for men. Italian immigrant Ferragamo, however, had a standout approach to fashion that was innovative for the time and whose ideas are still rippling through fashion today. Especially at the company he founded in the States.

It was when Ferragamo was living back in Italy, during 1942, that he created the sued patchwork mule that inspired Andrew’s collection recently seen at Milan Fashion Week. “If you imagine a woman walking down the street in that,” he told The Guardian, referring to the shoe, “it’s totally mindblowing to think about how Salvatore combined technology, innovation, and craftsmanship. If you study the clothes [in this collection] in detail, there’s so much technical work in how the clothes are bonded and finished.”

Generation focused around the idea of “multiplicity”, in regards to who will wear, or want to wear, the collection. By integrating classic designs into current, the inclusivity of the consumers will be much wider and therefore generation-less. Knee length leather dresses, scarves, skirts and anoraks, largely in burgundy or darker, earthy tones were seen on the male and female models at the show, that had Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer in attendance. In addition, there was a mix of textures, like leather suits, slip dresses and a large teddy-bear coat wrapped with a light grey belt. The variety of styles will allow the brand to fulfil its concept of having  “clients in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and more.” If you needed a push, Andrew wants you to know that now is the time to start sharing your clothes with your mom and most definitely, your grandma.

 

 

 

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