Guillaume Meilland set the tone for his debut collection at the Florentine fashion house with the jazzy strains of Serge Gainsbourg’s “New York, U.S.A.” — and a lineup of models with lots of laid-back, urban flair. The brand’s new men’s wear director was looking to channel the energy and cultural diversity that Ferragamo’s southern Italian founder Salvatore Ferragamo drew from his first trips to the American metropolis. “I imagined this young man hitting the big city armed with his natural, effortless elegance,” he said.
The collection — full of layering, knitwear and eye-catching patterns and textures — had a whiff of the Seventies, as in the flared suit trousers with small cuffs, worn over loafers with a tie-dyed effect. Meilland paired those same suit trousers — and other narrow, cropped ones — with chunky knits or others done in delicate chenille or stripes, often finishing the look with long topcoats in plaids or solids.
There was plenty of outerwear, including a midnight blue calf hair coat with a convertible zip hood; one done in alternating strips of textured leather and shearling, and a standout white one lined with navy blue shearling. Jackets ranged from a moto style in off-white leather to a warming shearling bomber to a velvety, fitted shirt jacket in smoky gray.
You May Also Like
Footwear was, naturally, a standout, with chunky soled boots, loafers and lace ups in a range of leathers.
Refreshingly, there was barely a whiff of ath-leisure, which has dominated Milan’s runways the last few seasons. With his first collection Meilland chose to light another path, one with classy, easy pieces that can still make heads turn on a city street.