As soon as London closes, Milan Fashion Week opens and Fendi kicked off the Italian event in style on Wednesday.
Hot on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the New York baguette house, creative director Kim Jones unveiled a new collection that embraced the devilish optimism of the 1990s.
Coming on the heels of London’s melancholic air in mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, the burst of satin and color delivered by Jones felt like a shot in the arm.
Opened with a Fendi brown side-pinned coat, worn over long neon green boots, the same mocha color followed by a see-through top, a layered slip dress and even cargo pants. Passing through pistachio green and gold, the shiny satin passed as fluid pants, slip dresses and full skirts.
Embracing the 1990s was a square neck sweater worn over a shirt and dresses over pants. In colors of silver gray, cornflower blue, neon green, gold and soft coral, it felt light, fresh and like an updated blast from the past.
Also on the opening day was Roberto Cavalli. The show delivered a dazzling array of evening wear. In this third season under creative director Fausto Puglisi, he understands that women come to Cavalli for heightened sensuality, and he delivered. The show opened with a beautifully draped brocade dress with a plunging neckline, followed closely by a cropped bralette top and pencil skirt under a leopard-print fitted jacket.
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More leopard print came as a mini dress with a sculpted top and flared skater skirt, while the model appeared in shorts with a long skirt and an asymmetrical strapless dress with a black bodice showing from below.
There were full skirts embellished with images taken from 18th-century paintings, which were also made into tailored jackets and stovepipe trousers, and a brilliant chartreuse style dress as a top skirt and a smartly cut bodycon dress with puffed sleeves.
Amidst all the glam, Puglisi also folded into the larger sense of his aesthetic, like carefully pleated and shredded mini dresses, and most strikingly, upbeat pineapple print suits.
Updated: September 22, 2022, 12:01 p.m
