Strong accessories, an easy, earthy palette, and a desire to evoke memories of family—Paul Andrew’s debut as Salvatore Ferragamo’s Creative Director resulted in a collection of tradition, practicality, and elegance. “It started with a photo on my mother’s mantelpiece of my brother and I on summer holiday in Italy when we were kids in the 1980s. We are wearing clashing Bermuda prints and smiles. I wanted to bring that feeling of fun and sun-drenched innocence into a modern context.” According to Andrew, the collection is “physically light and knowingly bourgeois,” but also holds substance and care in its construction. Showcased al fresco at the historic Rotonda Della Besana, Ferragamo SS20 pays homage to the house traditions of artisanship, resulting in family-inspired garments of sophistication and timelessness.

Packed with significant references that relayed the story of the Ferragamo brand, garments were presented in neutral palettes of rich earth tones, topped with playful prints and brilliant electric blues. Although leather is Ferragamo’s niche, their use of the classic Italian material was scaled back. Instead, leather was subtly paired with more flowing garments in the form of tie-waist belts and the collars of menswear tops. Carefully cinched skirts and cut-away backs on sweaters provided lightness and wearability for a hot Italian summer. Airy jumpsuits and a breezy striped caftan played to the brand vision of minimalism and practicality. Classic Ferragamo strappy leather sandals and pointed flats frequented the looks, featuring low, sculptural heels in monochrome or color block. Andrew’s final offering this show was his take on the brand’s best-selling shoe, the Vara. With a slightly modified structure paired with white ankle socks, Andrew reinvented the classic style to present a refreshing spring version he calls the Viva. Newly appointed vision and a commitment to maintaining the foundations of the brand make Ferragamo SS20 a lovely celebration of the old and the new, delivering a collection that reminisces about the then and resonates with the now.