Heavy rain poured down on the courtyard of the Portrait Milano Hotel, just hours before Maximilian Davis’s SS26 collection for Ferragamo was set to hit the runway. While most designers might have relocated, the dreary weather only helped portray the creative director’s approach to all of his work – honesty and authenticity. The runway would wait for no one. While the rain did stop just in time for the show, it didn’t dampen the ambience by any means.
Maximilian Davis did what he does best, creating sensual, romantic pieces that are memorable, intentional, and tailored to perfection. Inspired by Harlem’s Renaissance in the 1920s, each piece represented modern takes on fashion’s past and personal identity. He has never been afraid to revisit the past or dive into the house’s archives. His best collections have often taken inspiration from the most fashionable decades, like his AW25 show that reimagined 1980s style.
Throughout the show Davis flirted with the aesthetic of 1920s romance, where modern takes on the flapper girl shone through dainty slip dresses and dropped waistlines. Silhouettes ranged from fringe and tubular shaped dresses to Le Garçonne style suits. It’s not the first time that Davis has taken inspiration from the 1920s, as his AW24 collection also took notes from the decade. For this collection, however, the silhouettes were more exaggerated with looser fitting pieces and waistlines dropping even lower.
While some looks may have been minimal, they were no less impressive. The very first look on the runway reminded you of Davis’s experience in expert tailoring through one oversized yet crisp black blazer. A nod to the era’s spark of liberation and self-expression, women replaced their corsets and suffocating hemlines for midi dresses that grazed the shins while some pushed the boundaries of gender with loosely fitted men’s suits. Men and women wore the Le Garçonne inspired suits, both with the added feminine touch of a satin sash tied at the lowest point of their waists.
Fringe hung from each sash and scarf, dusting the floor as it moved. It was everywhere. It clung to disc-shaped bangles, and draped off the sides of dresses. It elevated the flapper girl aesthetic into the modern day in a way that still felt relatable.
Raindrops sprung from each click of a heel as they made their way down the wet runway. Originally from the Ferragamo archives, we were reintroduced to the ‘S’ heel, a redesigned pointed, caged shoe with an abstractly shaped heel. Accessories were minimal, if spotted at all, and while there were no 20s bobs, hairstyles were on the shorter side. Feathered headbands became feathered handbags. All hailed from the 1920s, translated to the modern day.
The magic of today’s Ferragamo is Davis’s determination to make the audience see themselves in the designs. Each piece is intentional in the way it moves. You can imagine slip dresses sashaying their way through a dance floor, perhaps a jazz club to reflect the era. You can imagine the cape sleeves of sheer fabric billowing in the wind while you make your way to a dinner party. Davis is trying to transport you somewhere, and he achieves it.