gianfranco ferré - autumn/winter 2009

this season marks the debut of designers tommaso aquilano and roberto rimond as menswear designers for the house of gianfranco ferré. after their critically acclaimed womenswear presentation presented last september, expectations were high and many were curious to see how they can merge the identity of gianfranco ferré's male vision with their own conceptions. while the late gianfranco ferré was an immensely talented designer, in his later years his work was criticized as being too heavy-handed. stuck in a place that couldn't seem to escape the opulence of the eighties and adapt to the demands of contemporary times. as with their womenswear presentation, aquilano and rimond attempted to focus instead on streamlining the architectural sensibility that has been synonymous with the brand. using a controlled sense of volume that showed a discipline and a modernity that gave the house a much needed breath of fresh air. for this presentation the focus was on the silhouette produced by razor sharp tailoring. particularly with narrow peaking shoulders on 3/4 length coats or cropped jackets that fell just below the hips in shiny fabrics which resulted in a look that could be described as "baroque futurism". there is still that sense of drama and grandeur that is part of the DNA of the house. and while some looks faltered when the designers lost control of the overwhelming volume of the knits paired with massive scarves, and paired with a fuller leg trouser which didn't help anchor the volume at top, the attempts the designers are making in modernizing such a legendary house is quite convincing. while the collection wasn't as cohesive as the womenswear presentation, it still had enough substance and strengths to keep everyone guessing on how the two new designers will continue to reinvent the ferré man.


photo: men.style.com