Although many big brands have enacted anti-fur policies in the past several months, Gucci and Michael Kors included, don’t expect Simonetta Ravizza to do so. There are still a lot of customers who relish the warmth and glamour that a real fur can provide. But in any case, Ravizza introduced an animal-friendly faux fur seasons ago.
This designer favors a no-nonsense approach, tinged with energy and verve. She doesn’t indulge in fashion trends or edgy interpretations; it wouldn’t be her. Coming as she does from a family of furriers, whose clients have included Sophia Loren and Monica Vitti, her style is rooted in glamour. Nonetheless, for Pre-Fall, the look of her collection was decidedly younger, with a humorous spirit to brighten things up. Ravizza updated volumes and proportions, playing with bold colors, embellishments, and cartoonish intarsias, which added a spirited twist. Flowers, hearts, and red lips were inlaid on ample ankle-length mink coats and sporty hooded blousons dyed in a bubblegum shade of pink; elsewhere, trompe l’oeil motifs replicating fake pockets or buttoned cuffs decorated long belted mink coats or zippered waistcoats.
The playful vibe made its way onto a trapeze-cut, tiger-print ponyskin short coat with a white mink collar and detachable fox trim. It looked modern and eye-catching, as did an oversize quilted black vinyl trench, fully lined in Mongolian lamb. Her popular Furrissima bags, whose shape is inspired by a supermarket plastic bag, was elaborated upon with new additions in a variety of sizes and candy colors.
