It’s been offered that Karl Lagerfeld is a true designer’s designer. Eccentricities and all, there is something to be said for his ability to deliver the myriad of collections he does each season. And for fall, in true Fendi fashion, he released (no, literally, the sauvage-ness of it all was irrefutable) some of the most innovative experimentations of fur in Milan. Surely he’s not an animal’s designer. There were short-sleeved coats in tortoiseshell-like fur, dolman sleeved versions nipped in at the waist and boasting muff sleeves of wild feathers, and a short haired black number with panels of organically cut leather.
In fact, even if the furs historically garner the greatest share of the Fendi spotlight, Lagerfeld’s explorations of other textures – namely leather and plumage – looked equally as tempting. A high-waisted skirt came strategically banded and pearlized. A studded mini was cropped to reveal ethereal trimmings of feathers kissing the wrists. It suggested a toughness truly undermined by this definite lightness. Ironically, it seems many would offer a not so dissimilar assessment of Karl himself.
Less than stellar were the handbags which could not be described without superfluous exercise of distasteful superlatives. I don’t know any woman who would want to resemble a true farmhand, complete with plucked chicken in grasp. That said, there was more than redemption evident in the footwear. Bold, if slightly sinful, were the lace-up booties with studded heels, donut-heeled electric blue python sandals, and the vertiginous pearlized ankle boots. After all, with the Fendi woman conceding to such a penchant for gaming, pragmatism seems rather redundant, no?
Credit Photos: Style.com
