ELLE UK isn’t the only brand celebrating a big birthday this year. On Wednesday night of Milan Fashion Week, Fendi celebrated its 100-year-milestone — and caused a social media frenzy before the show even started.
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Carrie Bradshaw — ahem — I mean Sarah Jessica Parker arrived to take her front row seat wearing Fendi’s original It bag, the Baguette, which was first launched in 1997 and became a global sensation after it was established as the go-to accessory for Parker’s on-screen alter ego and the other leading Sex And The City stars. Unsurprisingly, the Internet went mad, ‘It’s a bag-uette’ memes quickly circulating on Instagram.
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But once the show started it was clear that product nostalgia had taken a backseat for AW25, with Fendi's artistic director Silvia Venturini Fendi focused instead on what lies ahead for the Roman house.
‘Fendi reminds me of the future,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to spend too much time dwelling on the physical archives. For me, Fendi 100 is more about my personal memories – real or imagined – of what Fendi was and what Fendi means today.’
The collection was pure luxury. There were sumptuous leather dress coats worn cinched in the waist; Herringbone wool coats and jackets dusted with a sprinkle of embellishments to catch the light, belted and styled with sheer stockings and pumps; and cosily tactile ombre knitwear — all in an elevated colour palette of what I like to call ‘Italian neutrals’ (not just black, grey and beige; soft pinks, terracotta reds, rich burgundies and mossy greens, too).
The flapper-inspired dresses gave a nod to Fendi’s 1920s roots, but were thoroughly modern and would look right at home on a cool A-list name at a red-carpet premiere.
SJP wasn’t the only star that came out to celebrate Fendi’s big night. Naomi Ackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu and Ashley Park all sat front row, while the runway, too, was brimming with supermodels: Karen Elson and Rosemary Ferguson; Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lima; Edie Campbell and Paloma Elsesser; Liya Kebede and Lindsay Wixon. Well, we all know it wouldn't be a Fendi party without a top notch guest list.
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