The mascot of the spring 2022 shows has to be the butterfly. Eighteen months of pandemic and it’s not hard to understand why, with its associations of reemergence and rebirth. The word Alberta Ferretti used backstage was renaissance, which has a useful double meaning in her case. In the seasons leading up to the crisis, Ferretti had been investing her efforts in expanding her ready-to-wear. There was a run of collections where we saw more leather pants, cargos, and jeans on her runways than we did her trademark wispy dresses. But the months since the vaccines were introduced convinced her to return to what she knows best. On her summer holidays she noticed women around her who were eager to dress up again.
“It’s very feminine,” she said of her new collection, “sensual, but not vulgar.” Playing starring roles were butterflies, either as photo prints on a wrap skirt and a lace-edged slip dress, or as more impressionistic painterly patterns on a fluttery minidress. Macramé and crochet were two other key motifs. Embellishments, especially ones that look hand-made, are another after-effect of the pandemic; they’re physical symbols of the personal connections we all craved during COVID. The macramé was knitted from silk threads and the crochet was made unexpectedly of organza ribbon. Both had a light, effortless feel; a few pieces in horsehair ribbon embroidery looked stiff and not as flattering in comparison.
Ferretti didn’t say goodbye forever to sportswear, though she did cut it with a more classic hand than her trendier separates of recent seasons. A macramé top was sandwiched between a fluid, generously proportioned trench and full, pleated trousers, but with a different kind of shirt those pieces would look office-ready. In the end, of course, special occasion dresses are Ferretti’s raison d’être. The way the show was structured, from its start in white, black, and other neutrals, to its brightly colored conclusion, it looked like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. “Identity is important now,” she said. “This is my story but in a new direction.” Best in show was a draped chiffon gown in shades of jade, turquoise, sapphire, and amethyst.
