Ferragamo Fall 2010

Not only does Massimiliano Giornetti, Ferragamo's former menswear designer who has also taken over the reins on the women's side, have a hit on his hand his fall debut ready-to-wear collection, but the handbag collection was, in my opinion, one of the Florentine house's best. The reason? The company's logo wasn't slapped on every surface, buckle and strap as has been the case in years past. The textures of Ferragamo's fall bags are rich, sumptuous and ooze wealth; but their bohemian edge lends them downtown credibility without any of that uptight rigidity. Shoulder-strap bags that hit at the hip seemed to be the design du jour for Giornetti, and I like the results. Soft, with the exception of some more structured exotic pieces, and molded to the body, the bags are twofers in the sense that one can wear them on the side or across the body (that latter trend clearly continues on for fall). Fewer red carpet-worthy clutches were shown on the runway this season, but what did come down--and in particular, a croc version with tortoise closure--are destined to be heirloom pieces.