FENDI Haute Couture AW23
Kim Jones is back in the spotlight with his new couture collection. By THE FALL
It should go without saying but, Kim Jones is a very busy man. Hot on the heels of his recent Dior men’s show at PFW, he donned his other hat and returned to centre stage for a FENDI haute couture AW23 collection built on serene fluidity, effortless drape and sublime silhouettes. “We worked on a template based on Delfina’s high jewellery,” said the designer of his vision. “If there is no jewellery, the idea is still present through the colour palette and embellishments; the clothes themselves take on the idea of jewellery.”
The ‘Delfina’ he refers to is Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Artistic Director of Jewellery for FENDI. Together they managed to create a story of chic simplicity underwritten by subtle yet intricate couture techniques. Gloriously draped dresses and gowns formed the mainstay of the proposition. Long, sculptural shapes with high necks and single sleeves attached to flowing hems paraded down the marbled catwalk one after the other.
Couture artistry realised second-skin silk dresses and complex single pieces with only one seam. When it came to the pleated gown with the extended overlong sleeves, the rhythmic dance of the delicate fabric had the wearer floating on air across the floor. Shorter, more structured dresses played with ruching, asymmetric lines and volume for different dimensions to the narrative.
The collection’s palette ranged from flesh tones to vibrant greens and deep reds. When they did come, the blacks came either muted, like the exquisite LBD with the roll neck and cutout detailing at the hem, or sheer and embroidered with jewels like twinkling stars in a particularly spectacular night sky.
“There is an emotional relationship that I have with the jewellery in the collection that I hope the women who will eventually wear it will have too,” said Delfina. The jewellery box minaudières in a multitude of styles that the cast held close to their chests throughout the show perfectly underscored that sentiment, and ensured that FENDI haute couture AW23 will soon be just as precious to the rest of us.
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