Alberta Ferretti Fall-Winter 2021-2022. Milan Fashion Week. See all looks and read review by RUNWAY MAGAZINE.

“Feeling beautiful gives you strength,” said Alberta Ferretti, “As women, we need all the strength we can muster to fight, as we still have so many battles to win.”

The present time thrives on dichotomies and contradictions. It asks for reassuring gestures while inciting decisive actions. The new Alberta Ferretti collection moves along this thin line. It is made of enveloping shapes, which embrace the body in the warmth of fuzzy, protective textures; it eschews angles, flowing in curves. Even carrying a bag means hugging it. A new minimalism arises, grounded on platform boots with chunky glam heels; then, suddenly, the daring to sparkle explodes, without hesitation, into dreamy, nightly escapism.

Classic shapes in unexpected volumes suggest unexpected ways to wear staple garments. Coats edged in blanket stitching are wide like ponchos, or fluid like dressing gowns, and can be worn alone, or under sturdy trench coats. Shoulders are marked. A ruffle peeks a boo from the turtleneck collar of a ribbed sweater, like a small ruff, while long pleated skirts open over soft trousers. A new vocabulary is affirmed: sensuality is not measured with the inches of bare skin. On the contrary, there is pleasure in covering up, from the neck down to the ankles.

Overalls and fatigues alternate with sinuous raw-cut dresses, blousons and high-waisted slacks with shearling coats, denim suits with tuxedos. The memory of the archetypes is transfigured in the artisanal treatment of the surfaces: lacquering and sequin embroidery that suggest previous uses; flocking and color dyes on denim. The pragmatic spirit leaves room, as the day progresses, to a feast of woven ribbons, shine and transparencies. Boots, wide-brimmed hats, and soft bags punctuate the story.

Colors and materials underline this fluid movement. Black, dense and severe, and gunmetal gray dissolve into earthy tones of ochre, brown, beige, in touches of petrol green and olive, and then get back to the nocturnal sparkle of non-color, illuminated by sequins, lit by gold. As the flow progresses, fabrics pass from dense felts, flannels and shearling wools, to leathers and suede, finally opening up to the softness of silk and transparencies.
The result is a harmony of contrasts, a balance of decisive or reassuring gestures.