For the Fendi spring 2011 ready to wear line Karl Lagerfeld took customers back to the 70s, with a collection of colorful daywear which featured modern touches, such as lantern sleeves and cutting edge textiles. The liner notes announced that "Fendi is the burning summer of passion." The models entered the room through a door of white paper that had been burned at the edges, presumably by all the burning passion emitted by the clothes -- or perhaps by the models' insanely fabulous custom lipstick (more on that later). That burnt paper effect was echoed in some beautiful white, linen ensembles which featured a burnout print. The peasant blouse and the poet blouse were out in full force, and seem to be cut in a more elegant way than we ever saw in the actual 1970s. There was a lightness to the entire collection.
Karl reinterpreted the classic shirtdress with a lantern sleeve and cinched it with leather belts. The palette was colorful, with lots of turquoise, purple and orangy-red. The 70s classic style of a bloused belted top over a gathered, longer skirt was presented with very light fabrics so there was some movement. But this is a style that adds major pounds at the waistline.
The leather working genius of Fendi was much in evidence with a skirt made of interwoven strips of turquoise and red leather, and in structured geometric handbags, painstakingly constructed with colorful leathers. The shoes were high wood or cork platforms with bright leather accents. Alas, there was one model wipeout. At the very end of the video the model in purple dress takes a very nasty tumble just as she exits the catwalk. She got up quickly, and it probably wasn't seen by most of the audience -- she was almost out of sight when it happened.
Here is the video of the entire Fendi spring 2011 RTW show:
