MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

UPSIDE DOWN

2022.06.20

For creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, the new generation of young people draws inspiration from a classic and elegant wardrobe, analyses it and elevates it through innovation and craftsmanship. 

The Maison’s double FF is a maxi neon installation floating down the catwalk, the letters are Upside Down, like the imagery of Fendi’s menswear collection. It is a perfect balance between a classic and relaxed aesthetic, defined by casual and informal look choices. The man brought to the stage by Silvia Venturini Fendi builds his personality on a game of contrasts and juxtapositions, a precarious stability that instils great curiosity. Different styles mix, between nostalgia and inspiration there is an endless journey of exploration and research. The new masculine aesthetic is increasingly fluid, dynamic and refined, capable of transversally capturing characteristics of contrasting imaginaries that cry out for freedom and travel.

“It’s about a balance of decoration and simplicity. An ageless sense of freedom to play, as we rediscover the luxury of free time.”

– Silvia Venturini Fendi 

Comparing the summer wardrobe to an airplane ticket around the world, the collection is a perfect piece of luggage, fresh and playful. The colour palette is varied, from earth, sea and sky tones, through pastel shades such as stucco, ochre and indigo, to silver grey that adds a sophisticated note. Among the proposals are coats and jackets in cotton twill customised with trompe l’oeil prints; five-pocket jeans; soft-cut shorts with frayed hems; knitwear in cotton and linen; shirts with squared collars; mackintoshes and jackets embellished with ultra-soft stitching and patch pockets; wide trousers in ultra-light wool, denim or leather variants. Deconstructed shoulders, with side cutouts, free the wearability of suits and shirts giving way to the lightness of soft, floating volumes. The logo remains the protagonist, especially on accessories, revisited for the occasion in a light and sophisticated key. Standing out in the celebration of the collection’s savoir-faire of materiality are the accessories, including cowhide leather skate trainers, stiff-soled moccasins and slip-ons covered in a maxi-volume logo print; fisherman’s hats flanked by crocheted cloches and flaps, colourful bracelets, rope pendants combined with silver and gold chains. Lastly, there are the new buckets and travel bags that tell again the story of craftsmanship, including versions in recycled plastic, denim or rough leather, also recalling the collection’s key details: fringes, tassels and beaded chains. The bohemian wanderlust spirit accompanies the decisive steps on the catwalk, freedom and beauty in a poetic and artistic key. A research for one’s own person among familiar shapes and materials.

A marriage of tradition and innovation, playing with garments as if they were souvenirs of faraway holidays that remain immortalised in the memory. 

“We have a desire to think for ourselves, to have a simpler everyday life. So I wanted to create very informal clothing, which behind an apparent simplicity, however, hides a certain complexity.”

– Silvia Venturini Fendi 

RIVE DROITE

SAINT LAURENT BY
VANESSA BEECROFT

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Saint Laurent invites Vanessa Beecroft to photograph the Spring 23 collection: a selection of 14 polaroids is on display at Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. 

COLLECTION

Gucci Après-Ski

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The Maison presents the new Gucci Après-Ski collection, a selection of garments designed for a luxurious and refined high-altitude season told through a retro campaign inspired by the relaxed atmosphere of winter holidays.

JACQUEMUS

"LE RAPHIA"

2022.12.13

Under a relentless rain of raffia, that breaks in like a summer storm, Jacquemus presents its new Spring Summer 2023 collection, titled “Le Raphia”. The natural fiber becomes the undisputed star moving from its raw essence to being extremely luxurious.

CELINE

Age of Indieness

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Age of Indieness spotlights an aesthetic raised from the indie-sleaze era of the 1990s and early 2000s, Celine’s Winter 2023 collection, designed by Hedi Slimane, walk the catwalk at the Wiltern Theatre in the heart of Los Angeles.

Fashion

Chanel
Métiers d’Art

2022.12.09

The Chanel Métiers d’Art 2022/23 collection, presented under the artistic direction of Virginie Viard, parades at the Palais de Justice in Dakar, capital of Senegal. The show is unique in terms of creativity, and a tribute to the savoir-faire of the place.