THE ?Shoemaker to the Stars? has been rocking the fashion and Hollywood headlines since Ferragamo?s recent collaboration with Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin.

Ferragamo and Martin worked on Nicole Kidman?s shoe wardrobe for the Baz Luhrmann film ?Australia,? to be released in November.

The creative collaboration has yielded an exceptional collection of beautiful, to-lust-for shoes. Drawing from period references and originals from the Salvatore Ferragamo archive, the design team created a shoe wardrobe rich in historical content and detail.

Salvatore Ferragamo is making headlines not only in the fashion industry, but in the philanthropy department as well.

In Manila, Ferragamo marked its 80th anniversary with a special Autumn-Winter 2008 fashion show at Manila Peninsula. It was a special team-up between Ferragamo, Citibank and Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI) to donate a generous P2 million to the Philippine Red Cross.

In classic Ferragamo style, it was an evening of understated elegance, and an occasion to launch the first Salvatore watch collection, ?Timepieces.?

For the Women?s Fall-Winter collection, draped open-toe shoes in snakeskin were in natural shades of white and dark gray. The collection was all about simple forms in rich materials.

The shoe of the year, ?Varina,? had patent leather that played with light, and had touches of satin and velvet in green, cyclamen and chocolate.

Structure met softness in Ferragamo?s bags for winter, with perfect creations from a single hide of leather embellished with other precious materials.

The Men?s Collection showed luxurious pieces with notable stitching and exquisite matte leather. Patent-leather shoes came in splendid blacks that produced a ?black-tie? style for daytime. Messenger bags in glossy calfskin and ostrich were also hot.

The F-80 leather collection was also unveiled, drawing inspiration from the F-80 watch. With ?Travel Luxury? as theme, the F-80 collection had a chic line of bags and shoes bearing the Ferragamo design aesthetic.

Yet, all style and no substance makes every fashionista a dull girl! So, at the end of the night, Rosa Rosal, chair of the Blood Services Program of Red Cross, received the generous donation on behalf of the country?s leading humanitarian and voluntary service organization.

She had initially asked for the help of Nedy Tantoco, president of Stores Specialists Inc., to buy equipment badly needed for emergencies like dengue outbreaks.

Christian Foddis, regional executive director of Salvatore Ferragamo; Mark Jones, country business manager of Citibank; Nedy Tantoco and Anton Huang, president and executive vice president, respectively, of SSI, handed the check.

E-mail the author at jfashion@inquirer.com.ph