Silvia Venturini Fendi has described Princess Anne as 'the chicest woman in the world' citing her as the inspiration for a new menswear collection shown in Milan.
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The Italian fashion designer plucked aristocratic family classics and embellished them with feminine details for a highlands-stomping gender-bending collection previewed at the Milan Fashion Week.
Generous overcoats, leather wellies and rumpled cloche hats defined the outdoorsy Fall-Winter 2024-25 silhouette fit for Balmoral. The colour palette recalled a rainy day on the highlands: moss, brown, slate grey and maroon, cornflower blue, mustard.
Underneath, loose trousers with pretty side plisses transition into long pleated Bermuda kilts and low-slung skorts in plaid blanket wool, blurring lines between masculinity and femininity, between tradition-bound aristocracy and contemporary streetwear.
They were paired with the finest twinsets, or thrice-layered knit tanks, forming a depth of colour.
"I liked the idea of breaking barriers, breaking the masculine and feminine codes, that don't exist anymore. They shouldn't exist anymore,'' Venturini Fendi, the brand's director of accessories and menswear, said backstage.
The runway mood was casual, off hours. Jackets were more often flung over the arm than worn, a signal that the day's work was done. Soft corduroy trousers fell into slit hemlines that flop over thick-soled sneakers. A pillowy bag was tucked under the arm. For the evening, soft suits and overcoats with shimmery surfaces and nearly sheer long knitwear over trousers gave a touch of decadence.
Venturini Fendi said the collection is about longevity, creating heirlooms, "to underline garments for life, not use and throw away."
Australian Associated Press
