The futuristic city of Shanghai was the perfect backdrop for the 80th anniversary of the Salvatore Ferragamo brand. The day was packed with festivities, which began in the morning of March 28 with the inauguration of the “Salvatore Ferragamo Evolving Legend 1928-2008 Retrospective” at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Honorary chairwoman and wife of the founder, Wanda Ferragamo, opened the event eloquently.
“My family and I chose China, and specifically Shanghai, to celebrate our country’s rich history and traditions,” Wanda said. “This might be our 80th anniversary, but the fashion world has known the Ferragamo name for nearly a century. My husband made the name famous in California, first in Sta. Barbara and later in Hollywood, when he began crafting shoes for the most beautiful women in the world, the rising stars of American film. This event is especially important to us because it is the first time that we are presenting a retrospective not on Salvatore the man as we have in the past, but on the business he founded, its identity, innovations and values.”
This special exhibit, ongoing until May 7, commemorates the Salvatore Ferragamo brand’s 80 years of history with iconic Ferragamo pieces on display, including shoes, bags, clothing, scarves and jewelry, as well as materials, skins and wooden lasts of famous clients like Joan Crawford, Pola Negri, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Evita Peron and Greta Garbo, among others.
The exhibit covers the entire Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai with 11 different sections. Its seemingly magical installations take visitors on an imaginary voyage, reliving the brand’s history: the legend of Salvatore Ferragamo and his relationship with the film industry; Florence and Palazzo Spini Feroni, the company’s historic headquarters; the fine craftsmanship of Ferragamo products; the original use of materials, the comfort of Ferragamo shoes and the anatomical studies that led to the creation of the Ferragamo fit; inventions, patents and logo; his relationship with the art world and silk print, shown in an array of accessories and clothing inspired by the natural world.
My favorite section is the Hollywood section. (Haven’t I admitted many times over that I am starstruck?) This section tells the story of the young Italian’s ascent to success in Hollywood as shoemaker to the rising stars of cinema, beginning with the opening of the “Hollywood Boot Shop” in 1923 with the models created for silent picture stars like Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, Pola Negri and Gloria Swanson as well as for some of the highly acclaimed movies of the time, such as The Ten Commandments (Cecile B. de Mille 1924), The King of Kings (De Mille, 1927), and The Thief of Baghdad (Raoul Walsh, 1924).
The star-studded evening’s festivities were marked by a fashion show of Ferragamo’s men’s and women’s fall/winter collection and a gala dinner party afterwards. The event was held in a big tent along the Huang Pu River, also known as the Bund. The dramatic entrance was designed to look like a Renaissance scarf in homage to the city of Florence and adorned by a breathtaking brocade curtain, in homage to the Chinese art of silk weaving. Inside, the magic of the past continued with the décor: immense Murano glass chandeliers and walls frescoed in the late Baroque style of Palazzo Spini Feroni, Ferragamo’s historic headquarters in Florence.
The fashion show was opened by a male model in a classic dark suit. He went up and down the ramp and when he returned back up, a group of young naked men stripped him down to his bare essentials. His well-sculpted body cast a hypnotic spell on the audience, and when he started to dance, we were totally mesmerized. We learned afterwards that he was La Scala’s Roberto Bolle, world renowned ballet dancer. For added drama, he ended the show as well, this time in a corset, nude color underwear. Joining him on stage was one of La Scala’s prima ballerinas whose name escapes me for now.
The autumn/winter 80th anniversary collection of Ferragamo was a fitting tribute to its past, present and future. It showed the timeless elegance that Ferragamo is famous for.
After the fashion show, the curtain theatrically lifted, welcoming the guests to the cocktail party in a setting that revealed a spectacular view of the Pudong River. The transparent structure gave partygoers a glimpse into the future of the illuminated skyline of Shanghai. The party went well into the night with guests enjoying the delicious Italian delicacies and dancing to the spinning of DJ Colemann. A good number of the Ferragamo clan members, including some great-grandchildren, were present for this historic occasion.
It was an ambitious, well-organized event that commemorated 80 years of fashion and dreams, Hollywood films and Italian creativity in an evening worthy of Salvatore Ferragamo, the brand whose unique vision has written Italian fashion history.