14.07.2016
Enchanted forests, fabled creatures, fairy tale queens and towering castles depicted painstakingly in fox and mink: Fendi’s second haute couture show – which had models walking on water across Rome’s Trevi fountain on a plexiglass runway – was a triumphant and magical moment for the Italian fur house celebrating its 90thbirthday.
It also marked the re-opening of the Trevi fountain – a monumental historical landmark and symbol of Rome – after a lengthy 2.2 million euro restoration project sponsored by Fendi, which has been closely followed by the worlds of culture and art. The house wanted to give back to the city that is such an important part of its heritage and this did indeed feel like a beautiful love letter from Fendi to Rome, illuminated by special LED lighting envisioned by Karl Lagerfeld.
From Kendall Jenner opening in a princess-worthy inky purple Karakul coat with mink birds applied to the hem to Bella Hadid closing in a sumptuous forest green sheared mink cape covered in cut-out appliqué fur flowers, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld demonstrated Fendi’s supreme fur craftsmanship and its place at the forefront of fur techniques.
“It was an amazing and fascinating event showcasing Fendi’s great craftsmanship to the world,” noted Elisabetta Pinacci, Saga Fur’s Area Manager in Italy, who attended the show. Guests were flown in on a special Fendi plane for the brand’s second Haute Fourrure show, where Lagerfeld took his point of departure in the Danish artist Kay Nielsen’s 1914 fairy tale illustrations East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Like a medieval tapestry, each fur piece told a story so intricately detailed that one piece had taken 1,200 hours to complete, and everything was, of course, done light as a feather.
Crochet dresses came with bands of pastel fox while a hand-painted blue leather mink-lined cape was adorned with pussy willow branches with furry catkins in soft, white mink. There was so much for the eye to feast upon: a Victorian wallpaper-patterned gold and silver intarsia mink coat dress, a Palomino mink coat with 3D mink flowers emerging from its flawless fur and a beautifully sculpted Golden Pearl mink tulip coat. It was a show to remember, epitomising everything that couture and Fendi stand for.