MILAN, Italy — A co-ed show, designed by a creative director for women's — Paul Andrew — and a design director for men's — Guillaume Meilland — for a classic brand in need of reaffirming its identity is, at least on paper, a recipe for disaster. The fact that disaster did not strike is precisely what made the Ferragamo show so convincing. It was a coherent offering, clearly focused on the product, which aimed at repositioning Ferragamo in the understated luxury area, after a few incongruous seasons — in women's in particular — of glitzy glamour and hyper-feminine detours.

What this collection was not is glamorous, at least in the classic sense of glamour. On the contrary, it projected an image of ease and calm through daywear meant to be worn for real: tailored pantsuits, roamy coats and practical outerwear, just a handful of fluid tunics for women's; a wardrobe of faultless separates for men's. A tighter edit would have helped but what stood out was a sense of colour that made the normal look not so normal, or as Tanita Tikaram suggested on the soundtrack, twisted in its sobriety. A good start.