A tale of two F’s on Saturday morning in Milan, with big-budget shows by Ferrari and Ferragamo, as the six-day Milan Fashion Week entered its penultimate day.
 

Ferrari: It’s official—Ferrari does office wear

It felt like a major change of brief at Ferrari, with a more upmarket take on fashion and clothes for career men and women.

Gone were the pricey versions of Off-White that characterized much of the first collections by designer Rocco Iannone for Ferrari. In their place were some dashing tailoring and sleek cocktails that would not have looked out of place—at least in their youth—on Marella or Gianni Agnelli, the Fiat billionaire who acquired the Formula One marque from founder Enzo Ferrari.
 
Presented with panache inside the former Teatro Versace in the happening Porta Ticinese neighbourhood of south Milan, the collection also underlined Rocco’s considerable range.

The show opened with assured belt coats and neat cashmere Eisenhowers as the cast toured four parallel runways. The tailoring was surgical and snappy, often crafted from a dense pile of chalk-stripe fabric, seen in raffish double-breasted jackets and blazers with slant pockets for both men and women. All finished at the back with raised seams and a car medallion logo on the nape.
 
Plus, in a season that marked the massive return of fur, Rocco showcased bold horse-hair Klondike coats, paired long skirts with crisp mannish shirts, and introduced dramatic iridescent shearling winter greatcoats.

 
The models appeared against a striking imperial Roman purple velvet backdrop, highlighting the golden goatskin jean jackets and sleek evening cocktails—perfect for formal events and clubbing.
 
“The ethos of the brand is told through garments that condense precise aesthetic and artisanal values—sensuality, a sense of volume, a vibrant authentic and chromatic research—while defining, all together, a concrete and authentic apparatus,” read Rocco’s somewhat highfalutin programme notes.
 
Soundtracked by Ibiza dance tracks and “Flying Apples” by Fabio Martoglio and worn by a stunning cast, there were worse ways to begin a Saturday morning in damp Milan.
 

Ferragamo:  A dance to the music of Pina

A fine, frequently fabulous collection from Ferragamo was staged rather oddly amid the murkiest of light, evoking this house’s mysterious and somewhat muddy performance.

Ferragamo’s creative director, Maximilian Davis, clearly has the design chops for the role and has earned critical approval. Every key scribe in Milan gathered backstage to celebrate Davis and hang on his every word after the show.

On the runway is a poetic and evocative collection inspired by Pina Bausch, using relatively easy shapes but made in the most opulent fabrics.
 
“It’s a story about Ferragamo and dance. What I wanted to reference was Pina’s style and sense of comfort, where everything was very easy—effortless pieces,” explained the UK-raised designer.
 
The collection opened with simple sheaths, leggings, taut tops layered under languidly cut double-face cashmere coats, and T-shirts made from wool cashmere and georgette slip dresses.
 
The ladies’ tailoring was classy, from the crisp mannish blazers to several punchy leather suits with horn buttons. Davis also embraced Milan’s biggest trend: using shearling treated to look like fox, wolf, or mink—most brilliantly woven into semi-sheer cocktails or a rock goddess evening jacket worn with a sinful red negligee.

In a co-ed show, men wore roomy suits featuring mega-wide loon pants with reverse pleats, harlequin sweaters, or pale princely grey cashmere banker’s suits.

All walked on thousands of scented paper rose petals, an idea culled from the house’s ’80s archives.

“All of Pina’s work is about romance, passion, and tension, and I wanted that in the show,” Davis smiled, who has yet to design costumes for dance.

However, much like the moody lighting, the styling felt overly complicated—with models manoeuvring double handbags at their waists while wearing cashmere body stockings.

 
This show, staged in a factory in northern Milan used by multiple brands, also raised plenty of questions. If Davis is so talented, why are Ferragamo’s numbers struggling? Sales declines over the past two years led to the departure of CEO Marco Gobbetti barely three years after his arrival. Gobbetti, who hired Davis, bid farewell today.
 
In the end, one wonders if Davis’ vision might be too refined for the Ferragamo woman—especially, and ironically, his best looks: a divine red cock-feather cocktail dress and a finale black silk cocktail dress adorned with fabric stems and flowers.
 
“That was about taking the most common pieces and reimagining them in unexpected ways—like stitching the feathers up rather than down so they have a more ruffled effect. But at their core, these are still straightforward shift dresses,” said Davis.