Ferragamo SS27 Reimagines 1940s Workwear with Translucent
Maximilian Davis reinterpreted 1940s uniforms for Ferragamo's Spring 2027 collection, using latex, leather, and glossy python to explore fetishistic
Ferragamo’s Spring 2027 show at Milan Fashion Week on September 27, 2026, launched a collection that reimagined 1940s workwear through translucent rubber, latex trenches, and structured tailoring. Creative Director Maximilian Davis drew inspiration from the era's uniforms, focusing on liberation and modern femininity rather than militarized austerity.
The opening look set the tone: a grey double-breasted blazer dress with wide shoulders, long sleeves, and two patent leather belts cinching the waist. Pencil skirts were softened into sheer garments, while men’s suiting featured leather collars and ties. The house stated that "fabrications imbue the collection with flashes of fetishism through clinical shades of translucent rubber, leather shirting, or ties rendered in glossy python." Anok Yai walked the runway in a teal trench coat made entirely of latex rubber, a material repeated in other trench styles and a sheer caramel rubber blazer dress.
Silhouette and Detailing
The collection distilled the composed vocabulary of 1940s uniforms to their essence. Davis explained his approach to the period's structure. It was a period where clothing, and its structure, created a certain posture and propriety: when the placement of pocket would dictate how you would both stand and behave, he said. His goal was to take elements of that silhouette and modernize it for today.
High-waisted tailoring cut close to the body was a key feature. Military pockets were applied to pencil skirts and outerwear, while utility vests were layered beneath suiting. Trench coat skirts were given an elegant flare. As the show progressed, looks became more revealing, featuring figure-hugging latex minidresses and draped scarf dressing expressed through looped silks and leather trains.
Lee Miller as Muse
The collection drew deep inspiration from Lee Miller’s wartime photography, personal style, and surrealist collaborations. A model, Surrealist artist, and photojournalist, Miller documented World War II from the front lines. Davis focused on her spirit of liberation, softening sharpened shoulders and refining fabrics to express relaxed fluidity.
References included Miller’s move to Egypt in the late 1930s and the Desert War uniforms of North Africa, which inspired lightweight cottons. A backstage moodboard showed her career stages. The runway featured 80s-style 'Sahariana Uniforms', lingerie details, and garment-washed shirts. Intimate nude portraits from Miller’s relationship with Man Ray were included as a nod to their collaboration and the solarization technique.
Footwear and Accessories
Footwear revived the F wedge, first pioneered by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1947. The collection presented several interpretations of this iconic design.
Men's footwear offered a clean, understated approach with double monkstrap shoes. Accessories included seasonal interpretations of the Cara bag in leather and suede. The Hug bag was re-proportioned into a new East-West silhouette and rendered in crinkled double silk.
The show closed with Anok Yai returning in a high-necked sequin gown that refracted golden light, symbolizing the culmination of the narrative on liberation and modern femininity.
