At 9:30 p.m. Beijing time on January 27, FENDI's Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture Collection kicked off in a mysterious white mist. It's not so much a fashion show as it is a romantic appointment that spans time and space. Guests from afar descended from the sky, dressed in brocade costumes from different time and space, intersecting at this moment, showing a tacit connection - Rome.
"The eternal splendor of Rome, the spiritual temperament of Rome, the holy Rome," Kim Jones describes as a visual feast. He was like a pilgrim, watching the history of the ancient city and sighing at it.
For him, Rome is a bridge between the past and the future, with ancient and stately marble buildings and all modern working facilities, and its style does not pass with time, but inherits the glory of all times in a vein of time throughout.
At the helm of the third couture show at the helm of this ancient fashion house, Kim Jones managed to strike a balance between classical culture and futurism. Through the continuous revisiting of Hollywood movies such as "Dune", the time-space connection hidden in the imagery of ancient civilizations and the future is discovered.
Today, this surrealist aesthetic unique to the city of Rome has been incorporated into the runway by Bureau Betak, and you can clearly find traces of ancient Roman sculpture without being able to perceive its time background. The vagaries of light and shadow cloak everything in a technological cloak. Reminiscent of the mysteries of the universe, the sphere of incandescent tubes crisscrossed with latitude and longitude is suspended in mid-air along with the countless fragmented Roman arches, pointing to the essence of this season's couture fashion: morphological construction.
At the beginning of the show, the ethereal white smoke took the lead in breaking the darkness and tranquility, like exquisite marbles, spreading infinitely in the air. The silhouette of the model suddenly appears in the smoke, as if following the unique time vein of Rome from the depths of history to the imaginary future. Fashion circle pet Sofia Steinberg, as the opening model, jumped out of the long and smoky passageway, interpreting the fluidity of the long skirt with a sonorous and powerful pace. The black fabric with a strong sense of drape is more lustrous by the blessing of the large-area beading process, highlighting a low-key restrained gorgeous, solemn and brilliant.
"The city of Rome has a certain spiritual temperament, which does not originate entirely from religion, but is entangled in the long river of history." This season's couture blends traditional and modern craftsmanship, figuring out the intersection of the past and the future at the temperature of craftsmanship, creating a sci-fi feminine force. The models in costumes are like holy queens descending from the sky, interpreting the silky fabric texture with an elegant posture. Slender beads, tights covered with delicate hand-embroidery, light and natural like a second skin, outline the fendi girl's otherworldly and unique aura.
Beading is a timeless embellishment for haute couture. At first glance, the slender streamers that look like satin are actually shining with the orderly arrangement of the beads. From the waist to the hem, exquisite beads of different sizes converge in different ways, bringing a sense of unexpected layering and luster to the monochrome dress.
Kim Jones's beaded decorations are flexible and uninhibited, and unlike the orderly on the skirt, they also transform into dots of stars, winding and spreading around the legs, outlining ancient plant patterns, echoing the rotating planet overhead, and engaging in a dialogue that spans time and space.
When classical sculpture is transformed into delicate patterns on short velvet mink leather and velvet fabrics, it constitutes a sense of visual error. Classical European sculptures, which highlight the curves of the human body, are often covered with highly rhythmic fold elements, and Kim Jones paints them as a flat print, covering the skirt, so that the plane and three-dimensional folds blend in the fabric, and the chiaroscuro contrasts form an intriguing dynamic effect, which contrasts with the serene and calm face of the duchess in the sculpture.
The delicate and rich classical print pattern acquires a new aesthetic in the perfect folds created by the three-dimensional cut. The surprises hidden in the details are even more moving, with traditional beads and pearl shells embellished to give each dress more room for imagination.
Kim Jones, who understands ancient Roman aesthetics, took the folds to new heights in this season's couture. The bright colour scheme accentuates the modern touch, and the lustrous fabrics herald a futuristic dreamscape. The asymmetrical draped shape focuses on the ancient Roman civilization he loves, reminiscent of the traditional Roman toga robe, which symbolizes divine power.
The evolution of the toga robe bears witness to the rise and fall of ancient Rome, with traces of it preserved on every ancient sculpture in the city. This once-Exclusive European Men's Attire has now been transformed into a new form of feminine power, telling a fashion vision based on contemporary culture.
The slim maxi skirt made of hot-pressed leather is also inextricably linked to the ancient Roman city, and the full distribution of miniature sequins, mink wool patches and pearls together create several sets of smooth ornaments, which make people feel familiar. This is a "soft sculpture" specially customized by Kim Jones for this collection, echoing the ancient Corinthian reliefs with soft costumes.
You may not be able to witness the ancient Roman architecture that blends perfectly with modern civilization, but you can perceive the joy of symbiosis between classical and future through FENDI's design language. This is the charm of haute couture, this time, it quietly connects the past and the future, allowing individuals on each side of the world to find spiritual resonance.
On a detailed level, this season's design is also true and pure. A warrior-like jacket stands out from the crowd of dresses, and the blurred gender boundaries make the designer feel the designer's respect for female power. The cracked design of the legs is reminiscent of the Spanish warriors of the Renaissance, the combination of Persian lamb wool and leather is rigid and soft, and the bold backless design is extremely memorable, injecting a visual language about power into a needle and a thread.
A sleek, curved heel is a highlight of this season's accessories, lifting the chunky sole lightly to a futuristic touch of solid leather and rhythmic beads.
Bags are the soul of FENDI, and this time, the fashionable top-notch bag is gone, replaced by a series of mirror-like miniature handbags. Archaeological remains symbolizing the old world are revealed, and crystal volcanic rocks and hematite are embedded in bags, along with natural crystal jade and amethyst to outline a mysterious style that shines brightly.
The makeup of the models can be summed up by a "fairy" word, which makes people can't help but be dazzled. A few dewdrops made of rhinestones hung on his face, slowly coming from the white smoke at the end of the catwalk, and his face was crystal clear as if it were dotted with water droplets hanging from the clouds.
Designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi, the jewelry collection is a little more playful and free, and the aggressive volcanic rock and amethyst are dotted with earhooks, necklaces, bags and all other details, breaking all the empty romanticism with an emotional design language.
"That's my whole vision for FENDI: celebrating the power of women." This is Kim Jones's pure hope for the future, the black sphere above his head is still spinning, like a vast universe, endless circulation, and the story of FENDI is like the all-encompassing ancient city of Rome, stretching freely between the past and the future, calmly accepting all the illusions of the imagination. After all, FENDI girls are never defined by a single style, they are living individuals who are changing rapidly.