There’s been a bit of a fiasco at the Milan shows this menswear season. Pockets of the British press had their luggage left in London, leaving writers and editors – including this one – in a panicked rush to grab a toothbrush, a fresh pair of pants and some sort of look before the first show Saturday morning.
The only upside to a situation like this is being able to buy new clobber, and with her SS23 collection yesterday afternoon, Silvia Venturini Fendi forecasted the perfect wardrobe for easy breezy living.
In her show notes, the designer spoke of “an ageless sense of freedom to play”, as we emerge from the pandemic and are free to travel without restrictions for the first time in over two years.
The last two seasons have seen Venturini Fendi toy with the codes of masculine dress, be it boys in floor-length skirts or blazers cut into crop tops. This time around was about channeling a bohemian way of dressing, one that feels both nostalgic and of the now. Take denim workwear trousers, for instance, cut with the pleasure-seeking sensibilities of a Californian skater. Their frayed hemlines were emulated across denim Fendi shoppers – some of which came fitted with water bottle holders on the exterior – and leather fringed moccasins.
All in a delightfully sunny palette of melon yellow, earthy browns and ocean-like blues, strong points included boxy point-collar shirts and raincoats with ultrasound bonded topstitching, alongside roomy overalls and bucket hats cut with top left open like a halo. The California cool look was completed with Delfina Delettrez Fendi’s friendship bracelets and ‘nugget’ necklaces which represent keepsakes from Fendi family get-aways. You won’t find them in your local trinket shop on the strip.
Photography courtesy of Fendi.
