The walk of shame isn’t the type of walk you’d typically associate with the Fendi runway, where lithe polished women tend to prowl in designs that sway back and forth between refined and facile - for the former see the well crafted leather goods and sumptuous classic furs, for the latter see the furry monsters and funny face embellishments, or indeed the entirety of last season’s collection. But this unexpected starting point - dubbed slightly more poetically in the show notes, 'the morning after the night before' - served Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi well. It shook things up. Or maybe sexed things up is the better way of putting it - this collection was utterly erotic. Just look at that red-drenched colour palette, or those boots, which stole the eye’s attention throughout the show, or the many sheer pieces, which revealed high cut body suits underneath, or the way Bella Hadid emerged looking like she’d thrown her conquest’s white shirt on the next morning before skipping out the door.
Intriguingly, despite the saucy undertones and 'nudge nudge (wink wink)' nature of some of the pieces, the collection as a whole had a grown up feel - a vaguely formal, even retro sensibility. The naughtier aspects were offset by mature herringbone tweeds and Prince of Wales checks. I liked the vision of a woman this collection presented. She was sexually liberated, rather than a sex object. And in Italy, where we get used to seeing women trussed up in micro dresses and heels, that was refreshing. She looked like she was a well-rounded creature - working hard, living life, while taking her own pleasure seriously.
