Silvia Venturini Fendi’s Swan Song Collection for Fendi Was A Tribute To Family

by Freya Drohan

With Kim Jones set to soon replace Karl Lagerfeld as artistic director of Fendi, Silvia Venturini Fendi bowed out gracefully from her temporary role at the helm with a Spring Summer ’21 collection inspired by quality time with her nearest and dearest.

Having experienced the intense lockdown in Italy, the designer was thinking of the silver lining it afforded. In other words, “Time spent with family — generations reunited at home in Rome — is a catalyst for quiet introspection: at the window or in the garden, watching the world go by.”

When receiving their virtual show invite, media around the world were also treated to a little taste of what was to come in the show. Quite literally. VIPs were sent a box of Fendi-branded pasta, accompanied by a recipe for ‘nono’s lemon pesto pasta’: an authentic Fendi family recipe! Alongside honoring her own relatives and their family heritage, Fendi also wanted to pay tribute to her country’s skilled artisans—particularly under this year’s extreme circumstances.

Her nod to the family unit was reflected in nostalgic mid-century silhouettes and how clothes were modeled on women of all ages. Accessories, always a popular category for the house, were both modern yet reminiscent of a bygone era: elegant white gloves, crocheted coin purses, and wholesome picnic baskets with attached blankets that would put any Susie Homemaker worth her salt to shame. Among the more obvious references to family life, there were also subtle nods to a quirky aesthetic; the kind that reminds us all of a beloved aunt or grandma in our own family tree. Think: oversized collars that looked like vintage doilies, slubby cardigans worn over silk blouses, matronly aprons, and socks with sandals.

Naturally, the Fendi family were proudly in attendance: Silvia’s mom Anna Fendi, her daughters Delfina Delettrez Fendi and Leonetta Luciano Fendi, and her son Giulio Cesare Delettrez Fendi. They were joined by an audience which included Kim Jones, Rita Ora, Paul Mescal, Adèle Exarchopolous, Caro Daur, Siobhan Bell, and Bryan Boy.

See the collection below:

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