Stepping forward, said Berluti CEO Jean-Marc Mansvelt this morning, the focus at these Berluti presentations is: “to do less things, but to really cultivate season after season what for us are the most important.” And at Berluti, of course, it is shoes that are the most important category of all.
To underline this, the first room in today’s presentation was dominated by a giant reproduction of a marble foot surrounded by fittings sketches. As light as that foot looked heavy was the new Far Niente, a square-nosed suede slipper shoe with gommino soles that looked like the hybrid of a driving shoe and 19th century soccer boot. There was a room dedicated to the slip-on Shadow sneaker, Berluti’s best-seller, that highlighted a new grippier sole construction and four new formulations of knitted upper, including cashmere and linen, each of which was designed for different functionalities. Other footwear emphases included handsome new versions of the angled-toe Stellar sneaker and a supple new version of the Alessandro oxford.
Bags are the second core category at Berluti. New proposals today included a paperback sized sundries bag named the Jour de Poche that was available in multiple varieties of the company’s signature high patina leather.
Berluti has rather turned its heel on clothing in order to focus on the entirely rational strategy laid out by Mansvelt. The exceptions to that, however, are in outerwear: today there were fresh versions of the Forestiere (whose beautiful history was laid out in last season’s review) in zestily toned silk-lined linen and what felt like a cashmere-shot shades-of-gray tweed. There were also blousons and a short parka in painstakingly l’aquarelle shadowed leather.
