Alberta Ferretti decamped to a posh location on the French Riviera to present her Resort collection; her show was the jewel of the crown of Monte-Carlo Fashion Week, now in its seventh edition under the High Patronage of HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco. Sustainability, being the hot topic du jour, was this season’s focus on the Monégasque catwalks. “Green is the New Glam” was MCFW’s headline, and an Ethical and Sustainable Award was bestowed upon the Italian designer, acknowledging her new engagement on issues like limiting waste in fashion, the use of eco-friendly materials, respect for the planet, and responsible consumption.
Ferretti was elated by the recognition: “I’m very proud,” she enthused. “Fashion’s communication power is such that it can convey this message to millions of people, raising awareness, and fostering a responsible behavior. But I know that it’s a huge problem, which certainly cannot be solved in just one season.” But doing even a little something can make a difference. For Resort, most of her cashmere was upcycled, and all of the cotton was certified as sustainably produced.
Lately, Ferretti has focused her collections around daywear, trying to find a balance between the delicate feel for romance expressed in her signature evening dresses and the sense of practical, no-nonsense but stylish purpose that an everyday wardrobe needs. While successful at retail, the reviews of her collections have lately been mixed. “My take on daywear is sophisticated and eccentric,” she said. “It has to convey personality, uniqueness, character. Women are no longer afraid to dare.”
Without detracting from any uniqueness of expression, the daring factor was rather pared down for Resort; some styling excesses that muddled her Fall message were wisely smoothed. Ferretti kept things simple but dynamic: Easy wardrobe pieces such as slim-fitted pants, pencil skirts, culottes, and minidresses were offered in soft, sensual suede in classy tones of navy blue and beige, studded with metallic eyelets. Elsewhere there were pops of turquoise or fire red, as in a glossy-leather combo of high-waisted pants and a masculine shirt. Denim was washed, malleable, and pastel-hued; tailoring was rendered in fluid, feminine variations. A white trench was proposed either elongated as a duster or sharply abbreviated as a minidress to show bare legs. Day dresses were delightfully unfussy yet quite feminine, skirting the fine line between practicality and sensuality.
But however convincing her daywear proposal, Ferretti was at her best when working on eveningwear. For the finale, she concocted a series of impalpable long numbers in dreamy shades of aqua, ocean blue, turquoise, and cerulean. Tiered, ruffled, and sprinkled with feathers and shining with scales of mother of pearl, they’d turn any woman into a mermaid.