The new route the designer has taken for the Alberta Ferretti Fall 2020 RTW collection is much more pragmatic and efficient, amping up the boldness factor. The show opened with a pitch-black leather ensemble: an oversized, puffed up, tight-belted jacket with high-waisted ’80s harem pants tucked into high-heeled slouchy boots. It oozed confidence—and felt a little ominous perhaps.

The collection featured plenty of oversized, blown-up volumes, broad statement shoulders, and powerful ’80s silhouettes fortified by robust use of leather dressing. Masculine tailoring was energized by almost inflated proportions; checkered tweeds and Prince of Wales wools were used on generous-cut pantsuits or puffed-up ’80 jumpsuits, tucked into matching tweed boots.

Evening was equally forceful, resplendent in the metallic, cold shine of silver. Baroque lamé curlicues embellished a black silk jumpsuit; a fringed top had a liquid moonlight shimmer, as did a draped minidress, rendered in lustrous sterling silver silk. Playing on the same voluminous notes, explosions of undulating plissé ruffles in bright colors—red, fuchsia, cobalt blue, lilac—erupted on airy blouses, billowy tops, and tiered tremulous concoctions. They were a whimsical antidote to the powerful, inevitable practicality of daywear.

Get a look behind the scenes of the Alberta Ferretti Fall 2020 RTW runway show preparations.