Fendi Resort 2020

After the death of Karl Lagerfeld in February, Fendi paid homage to its legendary creative director with the fall 2019 runway show, unveiling the designer’s last collection. But the company remains silent about the future of the top creative spot.

Even if Lagerfeld’s passing clearly left a huge void to fill, Fendi continues to navigate the challenging waters of fashion. No loss of direction, no hesitation: instead, the brand presented a beautiful resort collection that offered a powerful take on its signature sophistication.

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Fendi is a company built and developed by women, which Lagerfeld always took into consideration with his celebration of a strong femininity. Now, at least for the time being, the house’s creative team is once again being driven by women, especially Silvia Venturini Fendi, who in this transition phase developed the collection with the brand’s design studio. In light of this, the muse who inspired the resort collection could only be a woman, in particular Jeri Dawn, the protagonist of the Eighties classic “Gloria” who was played by Gena Rowlands. Her attitude, strong and decisive yet deeply emotional and sensitive, infused the development of the lineup, which combined a sartorial sensibility with a delicate sense of romance.

Beautifully constructed blazers crafted in lightweight, feminine fabrics were matched with pleated skirts revealing sensual high slits, as well as with high-waisted pants with deep pleats injected with a mannish feel.

A key piece, the shirt jacket, was rendered in fluid fabrications embellished with Pequin striped piping but also in precious mink fur for a touch of eccentricity.

In keeping with the latest runway show, the bows that punctuated the fall collection returned as scarf-like details on dresses splashed with tie-inspired micro patterns, while Lagerfeld’s Karligraphy logo, showing the double FF in italics, popped up on a range of styles, from tone-on-tone glossy trenches to skirt suits and mink fur coats.

Along with variations on the iconic Baguette and Peekaboo styles, the bags included an archive-inspired new tote design and a structured chained bag exuding Seventies bourgeois refinement — a signature note of the overall lineup.

Launch Gallery: Fendi Resort 2020

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