Massimiliano Giornetti

Scan the show notes for Massimiliano Giornetti's Fall 2013 Salvatore Ferragamo collection, and you'll notice a lot of similar words and phrases: "simplicity," "neatness," "severity," "lightness" are all there, and so is "the elimination of the unnecessary."

Yet Giornetti wasn't necessarily making a statement about stark minimalism.

The Salvatore Ferragamo Fall 2013 collection struck a mod-meets-minimalist chord, pairing shiny patent double-breasted peacoats with turtleneck dresses, and cropped jackets with A-line skirts. Consider it a turn to retro styling juxtaposed against pared-down silhouettes. To fully harness this vibe, Creative Director Massimiliano Giornetti sent out sleek pieces — mostly in navy blues, blacks, and slate grays — only letting the crispest shade of white punctuate the dark lineup. While there were quite a few "deconstructed" minidresses to (once again) redefine the standard LBD, it was the expertly tailored (and very luxurious) outerwear that held our attention. As for the label's iconic leather goods? There were plenty: all of them, cooler than the one before. Between the croc-printed bags and the knee-high cutout pointy-toe boots — which, from the back, provided all the lace-up sex appeal in one parting glance — Ferragamo Fall '13 proved jam-packed with accessories and clothing worth coveting. See it all here.

Massimiliano Giornetti distilled a romantic idea of the gaucho into his travel-ready, equestrian, and slightly masculine Spring 2013 collection for Salvatore Ferragamo. The offering was far too luxurious to herd any actual cattle in — unless you work on the kind of ranch where sleeveless crocodile shirts are part of the uniform — but it carried plenty of hints to its inspiration nonetheless. The opening salvo here was a rich black leather trench coat dressed up with crocodile sandal boots, and that look was followed quickly by a selection other coats with asymmetrical shapes and hidden closures. Likewise, the rest of the offering was pretty with a tough undercurrent. Giornetti answered the season's demand for lace and sheer insets with black mesh and a silvery open-weave sweater. Sparkle came in the form of gold- and silver-tone sequins that made a variety of garments look like chain mail.

Check out all the pictures from Salvatore Ferragamo's Spring 2013 collection, and come back soon for our full review.

Massimiliano Giornetti's Resort 2013 collection for Salvatore Ferragamo was infused with time-honored Italian artistry — but with a decidedly updated edge. "It's super-modern and yet connected with the classics because every piece is the product of a tradition of ancient craft," he said. "The Ferragamo girl is cool, but she's got culture."

Perhaps that Italian influence was especially important at this show, the first by an Italian fashion house to be put on at the Louvre. (Ferragamo is currently sponsoring an exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci's work at the museum.) Pale-hued pieces showed off Giornetti's handiwork, like dresses that came in panels laced together by leather cords, or in crocheted pieces finished with fringe. Giornetti said one tank dress, made of strips of leather affixed with small pieces of metal, took four people 10 days to create. Many of the looks were shown with knee-high boots and handbags made from snakeskin or suede.

Giornetti said he wanted to focus on "slow fashion," with a particular focus on "the time that goes into each piece. It's about the old masters, but with a young spin."