“Fur is Fendi, Fendi is fur.” This legend was boldly scribbled on Lagerfeld’s iconic drawings provided in the programme notes at the Fendi autumn/winter 2013 show (February 21). Not for the faint hearted, there were pelts aplenty featured, setting a new mood of dressing ‘top-to-toe’ in fur. Marching along to The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’, the army of models sported fur mohican hair-dos with ubiquitous fur looks that spilled over to mink-trimmed sunglasses and opulent fur detailing on shoes and bags. In fact, there was a fur element to just about every item in this show.
In a collection that blended neo-punk with innovation and craftsmanship, luxury furrier / fashion house Fendi celebrated their DNA with this contemporary re-interpretation of fur together with their iconic selleria. The interplay of wool, leather and fur mixed in with the sports couture elements of neoprene, three-dimensional embroidery and trompe l’oeil all lent a new modernity that made the front-row attendees’ display of furs look archaic and dull.
Not forgetting form and functionality, the tailoring spoke with an architectural volume with a sometimes rounded but often geometrical silhouette. A tongue-in-cheek moment occurred when a model displayed a Fendi logo tattoo on her hips while wearing a peek-a-boo curved waistline skirt. While fabrics and textures (impressive displays of braiding, knitting, and shaving of various different types of fur) were key to the collection, the strangely affecting colour palette of polychromic pastel tones mixed in with intarsia and stripes contrasted boldly with vivid Technicolor hues, giving an upbeat punch to the collection.
Firmly ahead of the pack, Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi re-emphasised the values the house is truly synonymous with — age-old savoir-faire melded with innovative craftsmanship and technology.
