Maximilian Davis is busy chasing his muse—the elusive blend of sprezzatura and sartorial sleight of hand known as Italian elegance. It’s the art of looking effortlessly put-together, even when every fold, cuff, and color combination has been meticulously perfected in front of the mirror for hours. In essence, it’s a kind of deceptive nonchalance, an attitude perhaps best embodied by a stylish Florentine flair, of which the Ferragamo archives offer abundant examples.
For resort, Davis time-traveled from the roaring ’20s to the bold ’80s, riffing on the idea of garments passed down through generations. The Ferragamos are more dynasty than family, so it’s no surprise that he’s drawn to the mythos of heirlooms, classic pieces he reworked through his signature sleek, minimalist lens. Slightly eclectic while keeping its polish, the collection set out to explore “what defines a person’s character,” as Davis put it. To that end, he looked to photographer Karen Knorr, whose portraits of women in private interiors—spaces layered with discordant styles—say as much about identity as they do about taste.
A zebra-print throw glimpsed in one of Knorr’s photos sparked the collection’s animalier thread—an unexpected jolt of wildness against the muted palette of waxed canvas, sun-faded linen, and rich, buttery-soft leather, crafted into lean city coats and relaxed, androgynous tailoring. A standout was a cocoa-and-black zebra-print dress with a pleated bodice and flounced skirt, worn with a shearling shrug that dialed up the ’80s attitude. The animalier motif continued in a flowy caftan printed with what could be described as the “faded memory” of crocodile skin. Another highlight was a series of slinky crepe de chine dresses in barely-there nude tones, each threaded with delicate lace inserts that nodded to the 1920s. Think lingerie reimagined as minimalist eveningwear, sensual but sharp, with fluid but intentional silhouettes.
Menswear took a quietly expressive turn, trading overt statements for nuance and precision. Black was swapped out for a deep, inky blue—Davis’s nod to the understated sophistication of the Italian way of dressing. “Navy is such a classic color I’ve discovered in Italy,” he noted; here, it grounded a soft jersey three-piece suit with a slouchy, relaxed feel, that blurred the line between tailoring and loungewear. The vibe was pajama dressing with purpose: unfussy and stripped of rigidity.