PARIS — For the first time in its history, the French capital's iconic Louvre Museum opened up its storied arcades Tuesday to fashion: a catwalk show by Italian house Salvatore Ferragamo.
Proof enough of the unique setting of this collection lay with the celebrity-filled front row — from actresses Freida Pinto and Leighton Meester to Oscar-winner Hilary Swank.
The mid-season resort show was in pure celebration of a brand that began as a leather shoemaker for Hollywood's first stars — and went on to become a household name for ready-to-wear, both for men and women.
The Florence-based house was granted unprecedented access to an impressive 120 meters of the Denon Wing arcade of the almost 900-year-old building thanks to its sponsorship of the Louvre's current exhibition of "The Virgin and Saint Anne," the last painting by Florentine master Leonardo da Vinci.
The Louvre is also respectfully tipping its hat to Florence: a city which — like Paris — has been a pole of creativity across the centuries.
But how can Ferragamo — a house that prides itself on being "Made in Italy" — convincingly show in Paris' most famous museum?
The key was through molding the show to the environment, Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti told journalists, saying he aimed to integrate French fashion techniques in his work along with the Louvre's aesthetic.
"The clothes' light colored palette is on purpose and in tune with the Louvre's light colored stone," Giornetti said Tuesday.
Accordingly, cool beige white leathers filed down the catwalk, melting into warmer honey colored pelts.
It was impressive how Giornetti — in often loose, gentle silhouettes — matched exactly the limestone palette inside the Louvre, common in buildings across Paris.
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