Alberta Ferretti designs for “real women and their busy lives,” she said at a pre-fall appointment. “They want to sync up with the times without looking too fashionable or in-your-face.”
Her formula is “daywear with charm,” somehow classic, but enhanced by light-handed creativity and the right amount of novelty. She doesn’t go retro, and she’s more interested in nuances than bold statements. This season, she offered her take on wardrobe staples, infusing femininity into masculine suits and sporty outerwear, softening proportions, and favoring comfort, with details elaborate enough “to make each piece look interesting and not boring.”
Pragmatism and fantasy are the extremes between which Ferretti’s design oscillates. Roomy robe manteaux and trench coats, trousers wide as skirts worn with tucked-in shirt jackets, and crisp white poplin shirts with attached waistcoats sat alongside the ethereal numbers in chiffon voile and luscious satin that are quintessentially hers. Elongated and fluid, often pleated vertically in a sort of orderly disorder, in toned-down cosmetic hues with some black spark, the dresses were sensuous and light, exuding drama but no flash. Ferretti seems to believe that you can look pretty sensational even if your look doesn’t scream, only whispers.