The sheer amount of power that reverberates off a Fendi show runway is increasingly making it one of the most seismic shows in Milan. It is almost impossible, however, to digest the depth and multi-layered creativity from one's show seat. This season, Fendi had some help broadcasting its message with a series of flying drones - illuminated disks that zoomed across the show space over guests' heads and that transmitted real-time video to the folks back home in front of their computers. What could have been a gimmicky move elsewhere turned out to be a slick, futuristic act in Fendi's case. It also happened to be perfectly in step with a fashion collection that was, pardon the pun, out of this world. From the collaged pieces of fur that were assembled like a puzzle over perforated leather coats to the rock crystals that scintillated like stars in a midnight sky of shaved mink, each look in this collection was an example of the phenomenal workmanship that only the Italians can muster. Unusual effects were everywhere - from foxy mohawk trims on wool dresses to ladylike orchid corsages that snaked across fur coats. But what was most striking was the way creative director Karl Lagerfeld can keep his sense of humour. We loved the fur-helmeted Cara Delevingne who opened the show effortlessly dangling a shaggy handbag in the shape of the designer's unmistakable face.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
