KIM JONES USHERS IN A NEW ERA AT FENDI

BY MICHELLE DALTON TYREE

View the Fall/Winter Collection at the Boutique

October 25, 2021

It’s unabashedly a woman’s world at Fendi. And Kim Jones, the house’s new artistic designer is delighted to live in it, revel in it and design for it. So much so, in fact, that the wardrobes of the five Fendi sisters served as inspiration for the foundation of the collection.

“The Fendi family are women of intellect who work hard — and that’s what I wanted to celebrate,” said Jones. “A powerful dynasty.”

From left: Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear; Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear; Delfina Delettrez Fendi; Artistic Director of Jewellery

“

The Fendi family are women of intellect who work hard — and that’s what I wanted to celebrate. A powerful dynasty.

”

KIM JONES, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF FENDI

HIS DEBUT COLLECTION

Jones, a beloved menswear designer already fully ensconced in the LVMH family and its exacting DNA, brings his sharp tailoring skills and Savile Row savoir-faire to this celebration of Italian elegance and reverence of female strength.

And he smartly channels that strength in his debut collection into one serious power wardrobe, available at the South Coast Plaza Fendi boutique. Commanding attention in this fall line-up are luxe knits imagined in everything from cropped sweaters and pencil skirts to sharply tailored trench coats in gabardine and leather, a cropped shearling bomber in rich cocoa, double cashmere and camel outerwear trimmed with mink tricot.

Is the collection hyper luxe? Without a doubt. His signature tailoring doesn’t disappoint. But Jones has also infused his debut lineup with rich textures and a fluidity and ease that speaks to the unusual times we find ourselves in, and the renewed focus on effortless wearability. Think — a power wardrobe for pandemic times: Oversize shirt dresses with exaggerated cuffs, satin pajama pants with matching cropped tops (who will notice on Zoom?) and languid, draped dresses.

“I’m taking the amazing, strong women who I both know and work with, and listening to their needs,” Jones said. “There’s a usefulness to the collection, explored in a chic, timeless way.”

“

I’m taking the amazing, strong women who I both know and work with, and listening to their needs,” Jones said. “There’s a usefulness to the collection, explored in a chic, timeless way.

”

KARL LAGERFELD LEGACY

Never fear, Fendi Fans: Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy is, of course, still firmly rooted in the house and in this new collection as well — from Karligraphy monogram bags to Fendi First shoes and clutches.

FENDI FIRST BAG

Covetable handbags and accessories are still front and center under the direction of Silvia Venturini Fendi. This season the spotlight shines brightly on the debut of the Fendi First bag, with a tilted, oversized monogram “F” built into the frame of a clutch and designed as an homage to the brand’s playful irreverence. Take your pick of shearling, leather and exotics in sizes ranging from roomy enough to fit a tablet to a micro pouch that will induce major envy.

HAND IN HAND PROJECT

And this season, the Fendi Hand in Hand project — which enlists craftspeople from each of Italy’s 20 regions to reimagine the iconic Baguette bag — translates Campania’s artisanal excellence into a limited-edition series inspired by intricate wood inlays found in 6th century Benedictine monasteries. The result is a stunning, veneered structured Baguette with a baroque floral motif that looks equally beautiful displayed as an objet d’art or carried in hand. But we’d, of course, vote for the latter.