Picture, if you will, the electric energy of 1984's London &ndash; those delicious Blitz Kids and New Romantics &ndash; colliding with the timeless sophistication of Rome. Kim Jones excavated this precise moment from Fendi's archives, unearthing a convergence that feels startlingly relevant for today's fashion landscape.

The collection whispers rather than shouts its excellence, presenting suits and coats that seem to embrace their wearer like a lover's caress. There's an exquisite tension between structure and fluidity &ndash; wool coats transform into sophisticated robes, secured with an almost offhand elegance that would make both a Chelsea punk and a Roman aristocrat swoon.
But let's talk about that utility, &ndash; not the mundane sort, but the kind that comes with a Fendi passport. Speaking of workwear that&rsquo;s elegant yet a little rebellious, Jones also highlights Fendi&rsquo;s &ldquo;background in utility&rdquo; in the show notes. &ldquo;The way the&nbsp;Fendi family&nbsp;dresses, it&rsquo;s really with an eye on that. I remember when I first met Silvia Venturini Fendi, she was wearing a very chic utilitarian suit &mdash; almost a Safari suit. That fundamentally shaped my view of what Fendi is: It is how a woman dresses that has something substantial to do. And she can have fun while doing it,&rdquo; he adds.

The magic lies in the details: silk ribs peek beneath luxurious knitwear, tulle and organza dance together in perfectly tailored dresses, and the house's signature Selleria stitching appears everywhere from sumptuous leather goods to &ndash; in a moment of pure whimsy &ndash; a Chupa Chups holder. Because why shouldn't practicality flirt with pleasure?
Fun and useful &mdash; this duality is always at the heart of Fendi. For a start, the brand&rsquo;s latest tailoring features gentler, meandering lines and rounded silhouettes. Wool coats appear almost as robes, casually belted, while knitwear is layered over silk ribs. Dresses are tailored yet given a soft touch with the contrast of tulle and organza. New techniques and fabrications (think high-shine waxed finishes and the Agugliato needle punched details) showcase both the house&rsquo;s innovation and artistry.

The brand&rsquo;s signature Selleria detail appears as a recurring motif on not just leather goods but also garments and riding boots. Bangles and chains, designed by Artistic Director of Jewellery, Delfina Delettrez Fendi, are similarly decorated with the Selleria thread &mdash; metal hardware is stitched through them. As for bags, Silvia Venturini Fendi is sending out new versions of the Peekaboo, Baguette and Origami in rich, natural shades and softer constructions. She also introduces a soft satchel, the Simply Fendi, as well as the Roll bag, a rounded shopper style. Plenty of utility, as promised.

This is how you merge utility with luxury &ndash; not with a heavy hand, but with the lightness of touch that comes from absolute confidence in one's vision. It's British irreverence filtered through a Roman lens, and the result is nothing short of magnificent.
How utterly and deliciously Fendi.

Fendi's Fall/Winter 2024 Collection is About Bold Elegance

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