Fendi’s SS22 collection finds new perspectives in familiar points of view
Silvia Venturini Fendi is among the few who can say they truly know Rome’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – or, to use its snappier, colloquial name, the Square Colosseum. Built at the end of the Facist era, this six-storey tower with its facade of never-ending arches remained largely uninhabited for decades, until Fendi took up residence in 2015. Now, the designer’s office sits atop the hulk of travertine marble; from her desk, she enjoys a panorama of the city’s seven hills, their contours ever-changing as the sun moves from east to west.
It’s this alchemy of light, land and architecture that runs through Fendi’s spring/summer collection. “How you see things – and from where you see them – has never been more important,” says the designer. “Our singular point of view in this period has modified our perception of the world, and mine has become so linked to what I see from the arches and rooftop of our building.”
There’s a dreamlike quality about the clothes. A palette of soft pastels – lime, lavender, pistachio – evokes the morning sky with bolts of punchy graphite, slate and indigo for the twilight hours, all rendered in fluid shirting, diaphanous outerwear and slouchy linen-silk suiting. Two graphic motifs punctuate the mostly-monochromatic styling, representing Fendi’s unique and towering vantage point over Rome. One spins the city’s natural contours across tactile crochet and knitted shearling, the other recreates an archival illustrated street map to witty effect. Of course, there are trainers – knitted, in more pastels, along with bucket hats and, amusingly, ping-pong racket bags (Fendi spoke last season of having had “enough” of streetwear, but is a savvy pragmatist).
For a collection whose origins lie in an enforced stillness, there is a thrilling current of adventure. Tailoring plays with proportions and perceptions: daringly cropped jackets come to an abrupt end at the midriff, others are split with a sheer organza bottom half. Shorts are extra short and loaded with cargo pockets, trousers often with a dandy-ish split hem. He’s a free spirit, this Fendi man, an ethereal maverick – but one who still nods towards a classic Italian sensibility, be it in the gentle cut of his overcoat or his smart nylon messenger. Alluring and modern, he’s unafraid of the feminine. He embraces it, in fact, slinging a crossbody over his shoulder or a playful, shrunken Baguette bag on a chain around his waist, as he wanders the piazzas in his buckled sandals, daydreaming about what tomorrow will bring.
Photography Jack Johnstone
Styling Grace Joel
Set design Imogen Frost
Grooming Laila Zakaria
Model Liren Shih at Chapter Management
Casting George Raymond Stead
Photography assistant Aaron Crossman
This article is taken from Port issue 30. To continue reading, buy the issue or subscribe here
