Anyone who claims that fashion is no longer exciting is probably not looking in the men’s area. And the Fendi’s collection at the Milan Fashion Week is showing us how it is done.
The menswear market has undergone a seismic aesthetic change in recent years, looking anew at genderless and even feminine themes that were once considered over-the-top or too costume-like for the common man.
Fendi has now joined the conversation. The Italian luxury brand presented a refined, pastel-hued range that was significantly dressier than the previous season at its spring ’22 men’s runway show on Saturday during Milan Men’s Fashion Week (which returned to in-person events). It also showed how gender-bending features may be incorporated into important menswear staples to create a fresh, progressive style.
The crop tops were the most eye-catching. Suit jackets in pastel colors were cut off in the middle and coupled with lower-rise pants . Another outfit had a mint green suit with a large jacket and relaxed tapered pants underneath, which was styled with a sporty crop top, a silhouette and styling method prominent in modern women’s collections. It was the essence of genderless attire in 2021, with sports shoes, sunglasses, and a slicked-back haircut.
Fendi’s autumn/winter collection was filled with the fashion house’s rigorous tailoring and elegance, as well as some welcome quirks to lighten things up. A leather aviator headgear with Moroccan fez flair was among them.
The collection began with a men’s Bermuda short with the tailoring and flow of a skirt, worn with sheer knee-highs and buckled two-tone pointed Mary Janes, but Silvia Venturini Fendi threw in some unexpected silhouettes, starting with a men’s Bermuda short also with detailing and glide of a gown, fitted with sheer knee-highs and buckled two-tone pointed Mary Janes.
While Kim Jones, a British designer who has launched a buzzy collaboration with Versace, has taken over Fendi’s womenswear, the male line still bears Silvia Venturini Fendi’s mark, symbolizing the third Fendi generation.