It was a poignant but pretty show at Fendi’s Fall 2019 presentation. This was the final collection legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld worked on before he passed on just days before the event. For a mere 15-20 minutes, the fashion crowd was treated to an extravagant offering of incredibly sharp tailoring, beautifully fluid frocks, and innovative fur details that were all well within the ingenious identity that Mr. Lagerfeld bestowed upon the house of Fendi. The show started with a boxy jacket dress that parodied the late designer’s own personal style: a stiff collar with a big bowtie. Bows were prominent this season, sashayed onto the backs of the rigid outerwear as the perfect ironic and feminine touches to otherwise masculine silhouettes. Pleated cotton skirts and silk dresses laid out the fluidity and further promoted the delicacy of touch that Lagerfeld was beloved for. Colors-wise, the palette remained largely neutral, with pops of lemon yellow, hot pink, bright teal, and cobalt blue. And finally, refined tinges of sportswear proved that, even within his final months, the designer stayed connected with the current zeitgeist of fashion and pop culture. Silvia Venturini Fendi‘s bow at the end of the show, against a weeping audience and backstage, proved that the house of Fendi will carry on, but it will never forget the legacy of its greatest creative director!
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
