The Fendi SS15 collection at Milan Fashion Week was all over the place, drawing inspiration from multiple, unrelated sources, using fabrics that had no business being on the same runway together and piling trends together onto one overdone piece—it was probably one of the best collections we’ve seen from Fendi in recent years. It was youthful, fun—something we could see ourselves wearing now, on the streets of Rome, Peekaboo bag in one hand and gelato in the other. Karl Lagerfeld’s use of fabrics was amazing, and the collection surprised us with a new slew of accessories and mini charms that everyone who’s anyone will sporting on their bags in the coming weeks.
One of the first things that caught our eye were the accessories, maybe because opening model Cara Delevingne was carrying the bittiest bag we’ve ever seen, but more likely because it was just jaw-dropping goodness. The popular Peekaboo bags had miniature baguettes dangling from their straps—there was even a tiny version of the famous Karlito charm. Shoes were either cage stilettos (mirroring their cage skirts and dresses in the collection) or iridescent flatforms—elevating the Birkenstock look in a way only Fendi could. Cat-eye sunglasses are bold this season, and gave every look instant style, while leather, feather-shaped tassels hung from undone ponytails, collars and bags in bright shades and soft pastels.
The fabrics in the collection covered the full gamut of textiles from the fluffiest fur to the sheerest silks. Some of the most innovative pieces we saw were jackets and dresses that blended seamlessly from suede to patent leather and back again, making a statement without the need for accessories or any fancy footwork. Pleated silk skirts floated in dreamlike wisps around the models’ ankles and pastel feather dresses moved with them giving the clothing movement and life. A plastic coating covered a few pieces giving them the sheen of patent leather, but allowing them to keep the texture of the fabric. The one look we could have lived our entire lives without seeing was the all-jean ensemble—pants, shirt and jacket in head-to-toe denim. Just no.
What struck us most about the collection, aside from the mini Karlito, was how of-the-moment everything looked. It isn’t a collection we want to wear next spring, but something we want to snap for our Instagram today. Midi-skirts, boxy crop tops, cutouts, sheers, florals—it was a virtual game of trends to see how much could be piled onto one runway—turns out it’s quite a lot. Surprisingly it didn’t look over done; it was on-point and geared toward a younger generation, one who is familiar with style bloggers and the need to be “on” all the time. Plus if you weren’t able to get on the waitlist for Karlito the first time around, you just got another shot.
