On the afternoon of September 24, from a colorful set made by the Australian industrial designer Marc Newson with Hilary Duff sitting front row, Silvia Venturini Fendi followed up the house’s 100th anniversary show of February 2025 with a spring 2026 collection that was all about play, hue, and technical experimentation. It was a breath of lightness that could not be more needed in today’s ever-more dark, ever-more dystopian reality. Yves Klein’s electric blue, cardinal red, chocolate browns and the pinkest of pinks showed up in largely color-blocked garments. A bright salmon boxy t-shirt tucked into loose red leather pants with drawstrings cinching the knees felt relaxed and artfully put-together at once; a slouchy periwinkle gray suit in a loose ’80s silhouette was given a whimsical twist with buttons tied together by a single pink leather strap. Sheer shirting, often with Scarface-style camp collars, added a slightly escapist sex appeal. Androgyny was a throughline, with delicate touches and performancewear detailing showing up on both men’s and women’s looks in equal measure.
Venturini Fendi hoped to raise the bar on an everyday wardrobe, a recurring theme also seen at New York Fashion Week this season. But quiet luxury this was not—highlights of the collection included a faux-fur jacket in warm chestnut covered with daisies, along with the closing look on Anok Yai: a sheer coral sleeveless number worn over sheer undergarments with sparkling flower embellishments. The flora at Fendi in particular was animated, fun, and very much imbued with the signatures of the house’s century-earned reputation for craftsmanship in their construction. Flowers came to life as enlarged embellishments on lightweight drawstring tied jackets; in blown-up, cut-out, Warhol-esque detailing on otherwise monochromatic shirting and leather dresses; and in micro form on a gray perforated number worn by ’90s icon Saskia de Brauw, ladylike and perfectly distant. The daisies and peonies had a decidedly pop art look and feel, like Andy with a heavy dose of Murakami. Another faux-fur coat, made of interwoven, multicolored panels, gave a wow moment amid all the delicate flou. It’s not hard to picture Emma Corrin, Iris Law, or any range of young stars sporting the full look a few months from now.
