Is there anything new to say about nautical chic? Maximilian Davis found plenty in his fall Ferragmo show, giving a voluptuous character to pea coats, middy-collar tops and sweaters, and navy sailor trousers partly unbuttoned to show off a triangle of white lining.
Davis got a little carried away with buttons and panelling, which seems to have come from his stylist Lotta Volkova, “who has fun deconstructing and playing around, whereas I like something a bit more simple. But we found a good balance,” he told journalists after the show.
Davis works in a minimalist vein, sparking roomy tailored coats with demonstrative, scarf-like collars that can be buttoned on or off; white shirts with collars that can be buttoned on or off; and skirt suits with various panels that buttoned together, or left open here and there to reveal a triangle of flesh.
Some looks felt forced, with too many fasteners and dangling bits, but overall the collection won you over with its intriguing combination of swagger and déshabillé.
Davis keeps going back to the ’20s as a well of inspiration, this time name-checking American artist Charles Demuth, who used watercolors to depict the sailors, fishermen, dockworkers and flappers who gathered in speakeasies.
The semi-circular show venue, lined with midnight-blue curtains, heightened the after-dark allure of the collection, which climaxed with gold lame cocktail dresses, fetching flapper slips, and loose, hobble gowns that erupted in fishtail hems.
Interspersed in the show were some daywear looks: his with vaguely military airs, and unexpected colors like orange and teal; hers somewhere between military and bourgeoisie. The quilted leather barn jackets with twist-lock Gancini hardware looked very luxurious.
