GEORGIE’S REVIEW: FENDI SS21

Thu 24 Sep

This was Silvia Venturini Fendi’s last season before passing the reigns over to British designer Kim Jones, and one could assume it was to be as some Fendi shows have been: bold, rich, decadent. But this co-ed show was demure and wonderfully elegant.

In a way, it felt like we were seeing snippets of Silvia’s childhood permeate throughout the collection. There was certainly a sense of nostalgia to some of the basket bags and the three-piece suiting and indeed this collection felt just as traditional as it did fresh and new.

Everything felt light and sumptuous, sheer organza dresses, in particular, were almost wafer-thin while satins and ornamental embroideries added a depth. A wash of cream and white was punctuated with soft breezy blues or signature Fendi orange on underskirt, shoe or glove. Broderie anglaise, windowpane prints, hand-me-down linens - all divine. The double-breasted suit dresses, particularly the one Mariacarla Boscono was wearing, were the takeaway pieces in this collection, as too were the just-dramatic-enough necklines that delightfully exposed the décolletage. A beautiful homage to the importance of family, this was a stellar collection to pass the baton with.