Chiuri enveloped the runway for her highly anticipated second show at Fendi inside glass walls, allowing the audience to see their images reflected on the models while perhaps obscuring some of the detail. With a soundtrack of Italian dance classics, Chiuri said she was trying to recreate the freedom and frenzy of the dance floor.
“This was meant to be a hall of mirrors, where we actually reflect ourselves in other people’s bodies,’’ Chiuri, 62, said backstage after Wednesday’s show. “I believe that for a generation like mine, which believed in the nightclub as a place of freedom, meeting people and dancing and watching other bodies was a way of connecting with others.”
Chiuri returned to Fendi, where she started as an accessories designer, after turns as co-creative director at Valentino and creative director at Dior.
Her co-ed sophomore collection started with undergarments, making bare skin integral to the look and leaning into brand heritage traits of fluidity and layered textures. Think silken slips and deeply scooped tanks that contrasted with tailored military jackets, cape-like trenches and patchwork fur coats.
Arrivals at the show were hindered by a combination of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of front-row guests like Monica Bellucci and Italian singer Jovanotti, and an anti-fur protest. Fendi was born as a furrier, and the brand is sticking with the legacy but putting the emphasis on upcycled pieces.
