Antonio Marras and Fendi’s ‘femmes fatales’

Milan Fashion Week, dedicated to the women’s Spring/Summer 2024 collections, got off to a flying start on Wednesday with high-impact shows and some very fine collections. Starting with the Fendi show, celebrating a woman of effortless and yet extreme elegance, and the Antonio Marras show, taking us back to the splendor of Hollywood’s golden age.

 
At Fendi, as usual, everyone jostled for a glimpse of a celebrity. They were out in force this season, from actresses Naomi Watt and Demi Moore, to supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. But once the hubbub died down and the lights went out, it was time for fashion. The poignant melody of blues singer Dinah Washington’s The Bitter Earth, mixed with the bewitching soundtrack by German composer Max Richter, created just the right atmosphere of mystery to accompany the contemporary ‘femmes fatales’ imagined by Kim Jones.
 
The creative director of the couture and women’s ready-to-wear collections for the Roman house, owned by LVMH, says he wanted to recreate the relaxed elegance he observed in the Italian capital. “In Rome, there’s an elegance in ease and not caring what others think – that’s true luxury,” he says in his note of intent. This spirit of imperfection and freedom translates in reality into the most sophisticated wardrobe, where every garment is perfectly fitted, the details carefully thought out and the palette highly calibrated.

Dresses in ultra-fine knits, woven from a blend of mohair and silk, clung to the body, either tight-fitted or draped, to exalt the form. Tricots and cardigans intermingled, embracing the torso in a playful interplay of sleeves. Turtleneck sweaters were slit here and there, exposing a shoulder or opening into a large teardrop between the breasts. With her straight, mid-length dresses, heeled pumps, fine wool gloves and small, desirable handbags, the Fendi woman is naturally chic in every circumstance, never without excess. Perfectly in line with the quiet luxury in vogue at the moment.

See catwalk

Whether she’s donning a pair of wide brown leather shorts with an off-the-shoulder white shirt unbuttoned at the back, or a form-fitting poppy dress with a beige leather trench coat, or slipping into a miniskirt suit with different color blocks. The chromatic play, with a base of grays, beiges and blacks short-circuited by flashes of red, sky blue and lemon yellow, and the geometric shapes adopted as motifs in certain looks, gave the whole a constructivist look.  
 
As is often the case with Fendi, the emphasis was on materials. Shearling strips lined with organza were used to simulate stripes in a terrycloth-effect bathrobe coat. Dresses cut from a kind of lightly crumpled vinyl took on the appearance of aprons. A skirt in openwork orange leather appeared to be cut from mesh fabric, while another in gold resembled a cote de maille.

See catwalk

 
Bought out a year ago by the Calzedonia group, Antonio Marras has returned to show business, and pulled out all the stops, with a gigantic movie set as its podium. The projectors, giant microphones, director’s chair, 1960s décor and red convertible were all reminiscent of Hollywood’s flamboyant and hysterical heyday, with Marisa Berenson, long-time friend of the Sardinian couturier, playing the diva to perfection.
 
The audience was treated to a live shoot with the whims of the star – sometimes dressed in a flowing painted silk caftan, sometimes in a majestic embroidered quilted gown – who lashed out at the costume designer, the carpenter hammering in one last nail, the stagehand crossing the stage with his cart, the script girl in a bun, stiletto heels and a strict tailored suit, and the screenwriter at his typewriter, desperate for inspiration. At the same time, the first models began to walk around this animated set, while giant screens broadcast the scenes live.
 
The collection alternates between light, fluid outfits and more structured couture models. Taffeta, silk, lace and embroidered tulle in vaporous volumes created blurred silhouettes. The sinuous dresses, sometimes hooded, fell right down to the floor. Black or water-green satin ensembles were decorated with garland prints or colorful bouquets. A transparent tunic was made of newspaper cut-outs.
 
On the tailoring side, Antonio Marras offered double-breasted banker suits with long-stemmed black roses hanging from the buttonhole, jackets decorated with pearls, feathers and lace. But also balloon dresses, tailored suits or flared strapless minidresses, cut from gold brocade fabrics, as well as soft leather ensembles. “I was inspired by the film Boom! that Joseph Losey shot in Sardinia in 1967 with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, set against the cliffs of Capo Caccia near Alghero. It’s a declaration of love to cinema,” confides the designer backstage.