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At Fendi, where Silvia Venturini Fendi is leading the house founded by her grandparents through its centenary year, family is as much part of the sales pitch as the Baguette bag. “I have been thinking about childrenswear, because I have a big family, and my daughter is pregnant with twins,” she said backstage. Two grandsons made a cameo appearance on the catwalk earlier this year while her 18-year-old granddaughter is her “fiercest critic”, the 64-year-old creative director says. (“When she calls after my show, I tremble.”)
This season, Fendi adapted the adjustable elastics that feature in clothes made for growing bodies, making a feature of elegant grosgrain pull-tapes to add gentle definition at the hem of the jacket or the waist of a dress. The result was unexpectedly sophisticated. The casting, featuring men and women of all ages and sizes, was a triumphant showcase for how beautifully the shapes worked on different bodies.
“I feel very proud, not just of what I’ve done but of all the talented people who have done it with me,” said Silvia Fendi backstage. “I could talk for days about all the things I’ve seen, in this life in fashion. I’m very happy.”
When the British designer Kim Jones left the house last year, creative control came into her hands while the family celebrated the landmark 100th year, but a long-term plan has not been announced. Maria Grazia Chiuri is rumoured to be in the frame for a possible future role at Fendi, although her sticky departure from Dior, where she was recently replaced as creative director by Jonathan Anderson, may complicate negotiations with LVMH, the luxury giant behind Dior and Fendi. For now, Fendi remains in birthday-party mode, with an opening night for Palazzo Fendi Milano, a splashy new flagship store in the centre of Milan, after the show.
Fendi’s century of stability stands out in a month of fashion shows packed with designer debuts. The luxury industry faces a steepening slowdown, and brands are banking on new faces and fresh ideas to pique consumer interest.
Gucci’s glitzy film screening, which launched a new era under its surprise-choice creative director, Demna, was followed by the first show by the Italian designer Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander. Later in the week the British designer Louise Trotter will present her first collection for Bottega Veneta, where she fills the vacancy created by the departure of Matthieu Blazy, now installed at Chanel.
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Bellotti, who has worked behind the scenes at Gucci and headed up the house of Bally, returned to the purist, industrial-toned minimalism that is the trademark of the house founded by Heidemarie Jiline “Jil” Sander in 1968. It was a crisp silhouette of snug layered knits, pencil skirts with bare legs, and slim Oxford brogues. Minimalism can look a little pedestrian, amid Milan’s star power and fireworks, but the brand’s hardcore of devotees will be happy.
