From Drop-Waist Dresses to Speakeasy Suiting, Ferragamo Brings Jazz Age Rebellion Into 2026
For Ferragamo’s spring/summer 2026 collection, shown during Milan Fashion Week, creative director Maximilian Davis reframed the Roaring Twenties through a fresh, modern lens. Drawing inspiration from archival imagery—most notably a 1925 portrait of silent film star Lola Todd draped in leopard print—Davis explored the patterns, textiles, and cultural crosscurrents that defined the Jazz Age. The result is a lineup rich with silk satin devoré animal prints, fluid tailoring, and decadent embellishments that speak to both the glamour and rebellion of the era.
"This was a moment where women were creating a new femininity—it was a celebration of freedom, a reclaiming of self,” Davis explained in a press release. “It was a period when people were creating spaces for themselves and rebelling against societal norms—and that spirit translated into people’s wardrobes." Beyond print and texture, the collection captures the liberated spirit of 1920s style. "Speakeasy suiting," drop-waist slips inset with lace, and reinterpreted zoot suits highlight a mood of self-expression. Scroll down for my breakdown of the collection.
The Silent Screen MuseThe below image of American actress Lola Todd from 1925 served as Maximilian Davis's starting point for spring/summer 2026. The silent screen actress was clad in head-to-toe leopard-print, including a coat, stockings, and Ferragamo shoes. "I was interested in how certain materials, prints, and textiles were imported from across Africa and the Caribbean into America and Europe to become a sign of status,” Davis explained in a press release.
From Halloween parties to Great Gatsby-themed parties, we're all familiar with cheesy flapper costumes. Maximilian Davis's take on the iconic look, however, is anything but caricatured. You won't find bejeweled headbands, feather boas, or long cigarette holders. Rendered in gorgeous chartreuse, one look reimagined the dropped waistline that allowed 1920s women unprecedented freedom of movement. With gorgeous lace cutouts, another look offered a fresh take on the slip dress, which had shocked people with its corset-free design and non-hourglass silhouette.
The spring/summer 2026 collection reasserted Ferragamo's dominance in the accessory market. I have a strong feeling that the new sculptural S heels will be highly coveted come spring. In a press release, Davis described one style of shoes as "fetishistic" because of the chains at the ankles. The Ferragamo Hug bag has also been updated for the new season in patent, woven leather, nubuck suede, and stamped croc.
This is not the same leopard print that Lola Todd wore in 1925. Davis managed to put a fun spin on one of the most popular, beloved motifs in fashion. I particularly love how he meshed red leopard-print with unexpected brown polka dots. The leopard looks also included hints of chartreuse—one of the collection's major color trends—in the form of shoes and bags.
This collection blurred the lines between men's and women's clothing of the era. "Harlem Renaissance zoot suits and louche, expressive dandyism color the spirit of menswear," the press release explained, "while the ties worn by men are reappropriated into scarf sashes that wrap tuxedo waists, or are panelled into patchwork dresses."
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