Fendi’s light games

The set chosen by Kim Jones for Fendi’s fall-winter 2023-2024 is a play of light, reminiscent of a cathedral rose window that caresses with its rays the models coming out on the runway. Paparazzi go wild waiting for the start of the show, which among its guests has Christina Ricci and Gwendoline Christie, beloved actresses for Wednesday and Game of Thrones. And there is also Donatella Versace, a friend of the designer: «A new Fendace collection? Why not, I had so much fun…» she told MFF. The fashion show begins, and the color palette goes from dark to light, like a prism. From black and grey leather to the softness of powder-colored knitwear, and then lights up with white, warming up in the end with strokes of fuchsia, magenta, and red, in long, flowing dresses, complemented by fluffy train down the back.

«The collection is deconstructed, but luxurious. There is a little hint of punk and my admiration for DIY, but it shifts toward something chic»,  Kim Jones explained. «The first day Delfina (Delettrez, ed.) came into work, she was dressed in blue and brown. I though she looked great, and I started from there». The british designer plays with graphic motifs from Fendi’s fall-winter 1996 archives, seamlessly expressed in intarsia and, with Karl Lagerfeld’s 1981 sketches for multi-purpose knitwear offering formative inspiration, the history of the Maison is reflected again. In a perfected punk perspective, knitwear appears sharply cut or delicately deformed. Felted wools are slightly shrunken, ribbed knits left unbuttoned or worn askew.

Satin dresses with a twisted drape are romantically accompanied by fluttering scarves. Seated next to Leonetta Luciano Fendi in the front row, Chiara Ferragni takes photos. Which one is easier, to be at Sanremo Music Festival or at the fashion shows? «At the fashion shows, no doubt, but Sanremo was a beautiful adventure». With the introduction of a new bag, the Multi, Silvia Venturini Fendi pays homage to that multi-purpose sensibility that is so innate to the Maison. «This duality is very much ours, as is the idea of something that seems simple but is, in fact, very complex». The illusion of insouciance is elegantly constructed, and the garments are designed to be worn in every way. Men’s tailoring and traditional fabrics are twisted into feminine shapes, while elements of utilitarianism appear everywhere: overalls, aprons, uniforms. Lace is lacquered and layered. Flashes of fetishism manifest themselves through peeping lingerie or thigh-high boots.

Judgment. Designer Kim Jones reinterprets tailoring. Pants are worn under matching skirts, masculine vests wrap around the arms, jackets become soft and oversize. In a game of contrasts, leather meets knitwear. Cardigans fasten at an angle or drape around the neck like scarves, knit dresses wrap the body like a caress, enhancing the shape. (All rights reserved)