All aboard! Ferragamo goes nautical for AW26

Drawing inspiration from the seaside, creative director Maximilian Davis presented a collection of subversive sailor collars and knitwear in Milan – modelled by top names like Paloma Elsesser and Awar Odhiang

While SS26 leaned sexy at Ferragamo, the AW26 season saw Maximilian Davis take to the seaside for inspiration. Kicking off day five of MFW, the creative director presented a collection of timeless looks inspired by sailors in search of better lives – a theme that Davis felt connected him to the house’s founder. “That’s something that both Salvatore [Ferragamo] and my own family experienced – he left his home in Italy for America before returning home, and my family moved from Trinidad and Jamaica to Manchester,” he explained in the shownotes. “They all crossed the water to discover new beginnings.”

That being said, on the runway, sailor collars came reimagined in a handful of iterations: from asymmetrical knitwear that flew up at the neckline as if the wind blew it off the body, to crisp white skirt sets and crimson leather jackets that hung back from the shoulders. Meanwhile, asymmetrical buttons appeared throughout the majority of the collection, cleverly structuring pieces across the chest and unravelling sheer tops or cardigans from the body.

Like most seasons, the brand rounded-up some of the top names in the industry to model it all. Paloma Elsesser walked the runway dripping in gold via a tube dress that puffed-up in a circle around the hips, while Awar Odhiang closed the show in a fluid, semi-sheer pleated gown that hooked around the ankles.