Tactile, maximal, and just the right amount of playful, Tracee Ellis Ross has the most fun with fashion.
Majestically captioned “diaphanous”, Tracee Ellis Ross’ latest post sees the actress and all-around icon wearing a full look from Ferragamo’s AW24 collection. First seen on the heritage Italian label’s runway show, the look played with an inspiring mix of fabrics (and proportions).
Off to party at New York Fashion Week, Ross wore a whisper of a dress spun from sheer featherweight organza and cut to a handkerchief hemline. This alone would’ve been cause for celebration—the ochre colourway isn’t even available to buy yet—but ever the fashion magpie, Ross and her stylist Karla Welch grounded the runway look with statement satin pumps flourished with wispy ostrich feathers - hand applied, no less.
The collection, which is only the fourth outing by Maximilian Davis, the house’s 28-year-old wunderkind Creative Director, draws influence from the brand’s founding decade - the roaring twenties. Sinewy dresses and dropped waistlines—like the one on Ross’ burnt gold gown—gently nod towards this season’s inspiration. As do the feathery flapper pumps that sit atop sculpted stiletto heels which are fast becoming a new house trope.
Parker Kit Hill hit the nail on the head when he commented on Ross’ post “always on it. Love this”. Joan Carol Clayton—Ross’ character in the beloved Noughties sitcom Girlfriends—might’ve stuck to a lawyerly uniform of muted hues and streamlined silhouettes, but Tracee Ellis Ross won’t be held to such strict sartorial codes.
Ross defies categorisation, flitting between political tees and haute couture gowns with envy-inducing ease. She’s as at home in fuzzy Dries Van Noten culottes as she is in vintage band tees (Public Enemy) and love-worn denim. She’s having fun with fashion, as well as making a statement when she wants to, and that to me, is what true style is all about.
