Each piece of the haute fourrure unfolds like a storybook, pieced together by illusions of delicate petals, feather appliques, mink fabric three-dimension inlays.
Putting on a piece from the Fendi haute fourrure fall/winter 2017-18 collection is like cloaking oneself in a sumptuous coat of verdant botanicals. As artistic director, Karl Lagerfeld has dreamed up flowers from another world – a fitting theme far from the grey and gloom of fall/winter, embracing instead the symbols of an exotic garden.
Read also: The unveiling of Fendi's Foglie Di Pietra for the city of Rome
In a nutshell, this haute fourrere collection is a collision of symbolist springtime and ethereal winter.
Silhouettes
Fur coats and gowns trail like delicate petals, gathering at the shoulders and cascading into fishtail points. Soft capes trail in the breeze, and contoured sleeves add drama to the shoulder. Winged skirts evoke mythical creatures.
Techniques
In keeping with the haute detail, Fendi steps up to new traditions with revolutionary technique. Mink is redesigned as a lace fabric for collars and cuffs, and hand cut into a intricate ‘pixel’ confetti of discs on silk organza. Post-Impressionist hand painting sprinkles its magic upon soft landscapes on shaved mink and diaphanous. Embellishment – feather appliques, golden needlepoint and mink thread.
Colours
The brighter, the better. All manners of primary colour are celebrated on their own – namely electric blue, purple, red, or combined together. Soft feminine colours are exalted too, in powder puff shades of pink, white and nude.
Textures
Not a surface is untouched. Fuzzy fur, textured organza flora, interwoven leather and silky feathers are the crux of this sensorial theme, lending character and animation to each look in its own outstanding way.
Shapes
Hearts are a recurring presence, as are flowers like the iris, daisy, crocus and poppy. They come to life in a three-dimension inlay of delicate lynx and sable, or edgy as a metallic jacquard and leather lace.
There to witness the bold new season were Hollywood A-listers like Sofia Coppola and Isabelle Huppert, and trendsetters including Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Leonetta Luciano Fendi, Olivia Palermo and Chiara Ferragni.
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Antoine Arnault, Natalia Vodianova, Pietro Beccari and Bernard Arnault
Anyia Ziourova, Helena Bordon and Caroline Vreeland
Chiara Ferragni
Leonetta Luciano Fendi and Delfina Delettrez Fendi
Olivia Palermo
Sofie Sanchez De Betak
Karl Lagerfeld
Fall winter 2017 is shaping up to be a season of powerful trends: Take the Versace collection celebrating the liberated woman.