Opinion | Down to the last detail: Ermanno Scervino pre-autumn 2013

On a chilly night in Florence, the temperature is turned up inside the 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio, as top models strut down the catwalk one after another. They're dressed at first in sharp, well-cut, masculine suits - double-breasted, charcoal hues with pushed-up sleeves, then in chic, tailored white or black ensembles cinched at the waist with glimpses of snakeskin. Finally, come gloriously silky slip dresses, generous drapings of fur and floor-length evening gowns. And black leather - impeccably cut and plenty of it.

Slicked-back hair and ruby red lips set a seductive tone. Top models Lindsey Wixson, Liya Kebede and Sigrid Agren have all flown in for noted Italian designer Ermanno Scervino's pre-autumn 2013 womenswear collection, showcased at Pitti Uomo along with his men's autumn-winter 2013-14 collection.

"The collections complement each other," says the self-taught Scervino. "The men's line gives something to the women's and the women's gives something to the men's - together they represent my spirit that I want to communicate."

Scervino is not a designer who wants his clothes to outshine the women in them. The collection for women oozes distinctive luxury and Italian workmanship. Sophistication is key and the fit is mature and elegant. Outfits include a long, ivory slip gown with a low draped back, pink ash silks and a sporty, light, powder-blue parker jacket with fur trim, worn over a matching silky gown.

Scervino likes to keep a close eye on all the technical aspects of his luxury label. His new headquarters is in Tuscany, tucked into a hill close to Florence, which he calls home. After moving between London, Paris and New York in his youth, it was the quality of Italian and, in particular, Florentine craftsmanship that captured his imagination when he went into fashion.

In 2007 he opened a new centre that houses research and development laboratories as well as a knitwear factory and workshop - all under one roof, so he could have total control over every detail of his garments. A year later came a new showroom on Via Manzoni in Milan, housing his women's, men's, underwear, beachwear and children's collections.