September 18, 2024 |
There was a definite 1920s edge to Kim Jones’ Fendi collection – a sophisticated homage to the centenary of the house which was founded in Rome in 1925 by Adele and Edoardo Fendi. Jones gave us the Twenties, but seen through a 2025 lens. That meant delicate, sheer flapper dresses light as breath, decorated with fringed skirts or deco-style beading.
It set the tone for the rest of the collection which played with sheer layers, super soft textures and an almost impossible lightness. Quirky upside-down camisoles were worn as sheer skirts, slouchy trousers were beautifully tailored in transparent fabric. Even the slouchy crystal-embellished socks were 10 denier – their delicacy contrasting with the sturdy Redwing x Fendi boots that all the models wore. Jones’ latest street savvy collaboration with the cult workwear brand is sure to be a blockbuster.
The leatherwork was exceptional. Dreamy, creamy croc suede was fashioned into co-ord sets or little shift dresses. A shaved shearling coat was as enveloping as a fluffy bathrobe. Bags were soft, unstructured and worn layered in pairs, small and large for double the Fendi fun. Jam jar leather bag charms added to the playfulness but the coffee and cream colour palette made everything look seriously expensive.
The pioneering figure of Adele Fendi, a formidable, creative entrepreneur, who passed on the Fendi business to her five daughters, was at the forefront of the designer’s mind. The Max Richter soundtrack mixed music with quotes from Anna (one of the five sisters who oversaw the international growth of Fendi from 1946 and sold a majority stake to LVMH in 2001) and her daughter Silvia Venturini Fendi (who designs accessories and menswear) talking about their mother and grandmother, respectively. Backstage, standing alongside Silvia and Delfina Delettrez Fendi (who designs the jewellery), Jones said the collection paid tribute to all the Fendi women who built the brand and continue to uphold its creativity and crafted excellence to this day.
Photography courtesy of Fendi.
