Day One
Show report: Fendi
The red carpet is a gladiator pit these days. Designers who are mightily lauded within the fashion industry but unknown outside can become household names with a look that delights the public (an entirely different audience from fashion insiders).
Or they can crash, burn and watch limply, while their lovingly crafted design gets trashed and turned into a mocking meme. Kim Kardashian, in an elaborate John Galliano for Maison Margiela corseted gown with extreme waist shaping and knitted shawl neckline at the Met Gala in 2024, a confection that probably took thousands of hours to make, was instantly dismissed on the internet as “someone leaving the house in shapewear and a cardigan”.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director at Dior for nine years, doesn’t leave the women she dresses vulnerable in this way. The front row at her debut Fendi show reflected that. Uma Thurman, Dakota Fanning, Shailene Woodley and Jessica Alba were among many other artists, sportswomen and singers curious to see what she would do at a house that has always been more famous for its bags and, more problematically, fur.
First, the bags, because after all, when she worked for the house back in the 1990s, she designed the Baguette. One of Fendi’s most famous, its success propelled the label, eventually to the stock market. It’s back, so soft and squishy it feels like a particularly deluxe eye mask (perhaps it could multi-task). The Peekaboo now comes as an urban-friendly shoulder bag.
Fendi bags have always been some of the best made, most originally designed. The stitching, embroideries and intarsia took these to a new level. “We approached them like clothes, with some of the same techniques,” explained Chiuri. “These are couture bags.”
As for the fur: it has always been the bedrock of Fendi. It began in 1925 as a fur house and has made furs for many of its rivals. This is tricky at a time when many brand, including, most recently, Prada, are abandoning real fur. Chiuri chose to show vintage – woven, jewelled, beaded, patchwork… “I don’t have a problem with fur,” says Chiuri (spoken like a true Roman). “I like vintage, new or fake.” The last part is an evolution for Italians, who were among the last to give up on the idea of a trophy mink. These furs are more about the craft.
Excitingly, the clothes were the star. Working with her beloved black, white and taupe palette, Chiuri presented flawless androgynous tailoring, sporty cargo pants and cropped parkas as equals. Every item was imbued with quietly spectacular details, such as the gauzy black lace that had been somehow turned into sharply pleated skirts or the embroidered flowers on a leather coat.
In Chiuri’s hands, even a “simple white shirt”, taupe trench and quilted liner or liquid, bias cut maxi slip dress look newly fabulous. High heels and ankle socks brought a glamorous Roman edge to Milanese seriousness. If such a thing as maximalist minimalism exists, this is it.
Celebrity spot: Uma Thurman
Milan Fashion Week has started on a high, as the former Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri made her hotly-anticipated debut at Fendi.
Uma Thurman, Monica Bellucci, Dakota Fanning and more celebrities joined the front row to support the designer, whose appointment at Fendi was announced in October. It’s something of a homecoming for the 64 year-old, whose first job in 1989 was at the Roman fashion house.