FENDI FASHION SHOW HAUTE FOURRURE

Founded in 1925 in Rome, FENDI is a renowned Italian fashion house that never fails to make beyond-the-norm, luxurious and exquisite items. Yesterday, along with my mother and brother, I attended FENDI’s third ever Haute fourrure show. Unlike last year’s 90th anniversary show held at the Trevi Fountain in Rome (read my post about that event here), this one was in the stunning Théâtre des Champs-Élysée in Paris!

Although we were just in Biarritz the day before, we still made it to see Lagerfeld’s collection by taking an early flight the next day. Upon our arrival at Charles de Gaulle, we took a car straight to the Mandarin Oriental, the hotel in which we would be staying for the extent of our trip to the capital! Once we were settled in, we relaxed and chilled out before the extravagant event ahead of us. While waiting for our makeup team to arrive, my brother discovered that Travis Scott would be performing at a club in Paris that night… After making table reservations at said club (stay updated on my blog to read a post about this very soon), we started getting ready for the FENDI S17/18 show. Once we had changed, got our makeup done (sneak peaks were on my Instagram story), and refreshed ourselves with a sip of champagne, my brother, mother and I made our way to the show. I was dressed from head to toe in FENDI, wearing a black tee, blue mom jeans, fantastic pom pom heels and of course a stunning yellow bag.

Arriving at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was as you can imagine, an odd yet delightful experience. ‘Screw the normal catwalk’ Karl Lagerfeld must have said, as never before has any high-end brand presented a collection in a 1913 built theater. Personally, I strongly believe as though the location of a fashion presentation plays an enormous role in the effect of the show. I’m always so eager to delve into the creative director’s minds to try and understand why this venue?.. why this set up?.. why here?. Let me now tell you in advance that FENDI sure knocked my socks off with the presentation of this show. Trust me, it was pretty damn amazing. Located on the Avenue Montaigne, this theater was simply perfect for the vibe of the collection. “A grand venue for a grand collection”: these are the words I heard bystanders say when I entered the theater’s doors.

Before the presentation commenced, we stood amongst the much famous with again, champagne in our hands and FENDI on our feet! After taking some pictures on the red carpet with our friends from the company, my brother, mother and I were directed to our seats. Once the whole audience was seated, the curtain on the main stage rose onto a soft dusk forest atmosphere. This set the scene for a very fantastical, otherworldly, fairytale-like collection. Suddenly, soft music that sounded like magic chimes started to play. My eyes were drawn to the immense amount of dainty and delicate flowers on the stage, creating a spring field and I was, as you may all imagine, blown away. Sitting on the left audience first balcony, my family and I had a gorgeous, utterly gorgeous view.

When the first model walked out, spotlights followed her as she made her way through the magical FENDI forest. She wore a red cape dress covered in vibrant red poppies. The next in a caramel shared Persian lamb coat which had electric blue poppies springing from its hem. Like precious petals, the models kept coming out, each displaying and representing a different floral look. From fur coats to winged skirts and see-through gowns, the collection outlined a very feminine silhouette and look.

I saw hearts, I saw flowers, contoured sleeves, shaved mink, soft capes etc. but mostly, I saw fur. Even the shoes of the slender models’ feet were exceptional as they each presented a unique color and were covered in flowers. Prestigious models like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner walked the show and although I loved their looks, my favorites were by far 04, 08 and 36.

The 04 look could seriously have come out of Tim Burton’s Wonderland. The model walked with a shoulder capped dress covered in apple red fur pompoms, blue mink detailing and cerulean sheer chiffon with white and daffodil yellow patches. The shoes were crimson suede high heels displaying a poppy while her bag was exploding with turquoise blue flowers and copper detailing.

08 had suede nude peach flowered shoes and a dress with a graduation of colors from orange to blue to black. Multicolored leaf and flower detailing that resembled gem stones encrusted the dress from collar to hem. Again, the dress was cut just above the knees, was made of sheer fabric and flowed loosely with a capped shoulder look. Overflowing in colors with an abundance of nature would be the best way to describe this look.

Finally, 36 is just splendid. Stella Maxwell presented this fully white transparent look with a beautiful strut down the catwalk. The beautiful look consisted of a maxi halter dress coated with white lace and dainty big lily flowers and white fur heels. See-through yet not overwhelming, elegant and impressively feminine, the dress was very Greek-Goddess like. Again, not a speck of color touched the whole outfit, making it even more unique amongst the rest of the collection. Snow queen in spring? I think yes.

Once the show had sadly come to an end and all 42 of the looks had impressed each and every audience member, the whole crowd stood up to give the most well-deserved standing ovation to Lagerfeld and his ateliers. My family and I then made our way over to the exit of the theater where we bumped into the lovely Chiara Ferragni, a blogger I have met many times before! After this, we made our way upstairs where all the models stood posing for us to get a closer look at the incredible detailing… And let me assure you, the feeling of awe I had had while watching the collection from the balcony was nothing like the feeling I got when seeing the outfits up close… Butterflies comforted my stomach as I stood, mouth wide open, in shock at the perfection of the pieces. It was at that moment that I truly fell in love with the collection.

Thinking about the show now, I’m still completely overwhelmed with its beauty. Lagerfeld’s imagination is honestly indescribable. FENDI as a House has done itself incredibly proud. The use of irises, anemones, and poppies made the collection speak volumes in terms of how it demonstrates femininity. Fur mixed with florals created a fresh and new look for the women of the future…

I’d like to quickly thank my brother for joining me for the first time ever at a fashion show and my wonderful mother for accompanying me and letting me aid you in your decision to buy the dress from look 04!

Last but not least, I’d like to thank the House of FENDI for your invitation to the beautiful event. Again, it was an incredible collection and show.

LOVE,

Tiffany Lea