Gender-specific fashion is so last season.
Milan is once again the apotheosis of men’s fashion, where models, celebrities, journalists, critics and fashion editors converge to experience what designers have in mind for a not-so-distant future.
According to Vogue, those in town to catch shows from the world’s top designers — among them Dolce & Gabanna, Prada, and Zegna — are filling the streets with bold looks, which include a mix of patent leather, camouflage and chunky knitwear.
Models wear creations for the Fendi fall winter 22/23 collection, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)
But on Saturday, on the second day of shows previewing the trends for the next winter and fall, an equally bold take on fashion by Fendi — one that mixed gender lines to perfection — lit up social media timelines around the world.
“Every look was amazing,” YouTube user Clay Bird wrote commenting on the nearly 10-minute long show. “So clean sharp and totally luxe I’m practically drooling over how exciting this collection is.”
“The @Fendi Fall/Winter 2022 menswear collection is da bomb dot com,” Twitter user Alex Chan agreed.
Fendi’s menswear collection, by designer Silvia Venturini Fendi, leaned in heavily on the “femininity, voluminous, trapezoidal outerwear with loose, slotted sleeves built to a crescendo with pretty, layered cape coats in black-and-white check, or ivory,” as described by The Associated Press.
Working with new proportions and mixing different shapes, Venturini Fendi returned to the cropped double-breasted jacket she presented for the last collection, but with more volume added.
“I hate the word comfort — we’ve been wearing pajamas and sweats for too long — but nobody wants to feel constrained in rigid or formal clothes,” she told Women’s Wear Daily.
And that also means a fresh look at men’s fashion accessories — specifically jewelry.
While “cufflinks used to be their must-have jewels,” according to the designer, the Fendi man is now ready to accessorize with pearls, pendants, chockers, floral brooches, and even a delicate little chain purse that’s smaller than a tuxedo bow tie.
Overall, Fendi’s fall collection was “polished and blended dandy touches and feminine elements, which was at the same time very contemporary and never too formal,” a stellar review by WWD read in part.