‘Wearable’ is not a word often associated with couture. But for her debut collection at the helm of Fendi, Maria Grazia Chiuri made a compelling case for why it should be. Staged inside Rome’s National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, the collection favoured ease over excess, pairing the precision of couture with silhouettes that felt remarkably effortless.
That approach was established from the opening look: a semi-sheer black-and-white caftan that drifted across the runway. Next came similarly elongated tailoring, dropped waists and languid silks that almost resembled liquid. Rather than relying on rigid construction to create drama, Chiuri let fabric, proportion and meticulous craftsmanship do the work. The result felt entirely in keeping with the designer’s long-standing approach to dressing women: clothes that work with and celebrate the body, rather than the other way around.
Arguably the greatest challenge for any designer stepping into a house with as rich a history as Fendi’s is striking the balance between heritage and newness. Chiuri navigated that tension with ease, revisiting Karl Lagerfeld’s archival Labyrinth motif, for example, through bold black-and-white graphics that felt contemporary rather than referential. Rather than treating the archive as something to faithfully reproduce, Chiuri used it as a foundation for a collection that felt distinctly her own.
That same sense of restraint was also palpable in the finer details. Delicate paillettes, geometric inlays and intricate appliqué revealed themselves gradually, rewarding a closer look rather than demanding attention. Outerwear, similarly, brought moments of drama without being overly dramatic. Textured capes and robe-like coats floated around the body of their wearer without overpowering it, while a restrained palette of black, ivory and parchment kept the focus firmly on cut and texture. In a season where many designers have embraced grandeur, Chiuri found strength in subtlety, proving that couture doesn’t need to be loud to leave a lasting impression.
