We may have been in Milan but there was a London insouciance about Fendi's Autumn/Winter '24 show – traditionally British cable knits were worn askew, one arm exposed, while coloured tights (in tomato-red, cobalt-blue and aubergine-purple) peeked out from knee-high riding boots. If Helena Bonham Carter had an Italian cousin, this is what she would wear.
'I was looking at 1984 in the FENDI archives,' said Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear. 'The sketches reminded me of London during that period: the Blitz Kids, the New Romantics, the adoption of workwear, aristocratic style, Japanese style.'
He continued, 'It was a point when British subcultures and styles became global and absorbed global influences. Yet still with a British elegance in ease and not giving a damn what anybody else thinks, something that chimes with Roman style.'
The eccentric aristocrat here isn't totally unrestrained – there is (soft) tailoring and (gently belted) wool coats. Pinstriped trousers are paired not with a classic blazer but a batwing-sleeved tunic dress. There is denim but it is precisely tailored and in saturated indigo rinses.
When Kim Jones first met Silvia Venturini Fendi (the house's Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear), she was wearing a safari-style, utilitarian suit. 'That fundamentally shaped my view of what Fendi is,' said Jones. 'It is how a woman dresses that has something substantial to do. And she can have fun while doing it.'
Consequently, there are several utility dresses that are tough and elegant in equal measure, as well as less practical styles in tulle and organza, printed with Roman statues or embroidered with dots.
Season on season, Fendi delivers bags that incite fervent desire and AW24 is no exception. In addition to new versions of the iconic Peekaboo, Baguette and By The Way bags, the house has introduced two new styles – the Simply Fendi (a soft satchel) and the Roll bag (a rounded shopper). Though both are equipped with straps, they were carried – or rather, grasped – in-hand for this show, which felt both purposeful and purposefully blasé – a contrast that defined this latest collection.
