At Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld was having a fashion brainwave. His entire collection rode on the crest of undulating waves that stood out like three-dimensional sartorial sentinels on almost every garment that hit the catwalk.
Laymen might call them ruffles, but there was something a bit more dramatic, less girly about the rippling materials used in the show. Their femininity was sharper and came more from a place of power rather than prettiness. They expertly surged across collars, hemlines and cuff and were also inserted into skirts or V-shaped bib front shirts, or washed over a voluminous coat. Consequently, and expectantly, this gave a sense movement to the collection’s dark-hued garments.
Accessories too got the wave treatment with the brand’s famed peekaboo bag and some impressive thigh-high boots cresting with the embellishment. But the furs in the show inched away from the theme, turning to intarsia floral motifs instead.
This collection should give Fendi a financial ground swell for next season.