Review of Fendi Fall 2023 Couture Fashion Show
Body and Adornment
By Mark Wittmer
Taking the precision and luxury of a debut high jewelry collection as its formal basis, creative director Kim Jones’ Fall 2023 haute couture collection for Fendi is a fluid and sparkling exploration of the relationship between the body and its adornment.
We worked on a template based on Delfina’s high jewelry. If there is no jewelry, the idea is still present through the color palette and embellishment in the collection; the clothes themselves take on the idea of jewelry. Colors come from flesh tones as well as that of stones: black diamonds, rubies, sapphires. There is a play of soft and hard, flesh and stone.”
– Kim Jones
While the final two completely gem-encrusted looks might take this assignment a little too literally, the rest of the collection executes this vision with a soft and precise focus. The drape and shape of garments creates an architectural fluidity that reinforces the structure of the body while freeing its movements. This balance is especially present in the soft external corsetry, which reclaims the garment’s restrictive origins and instead imbues it with an almost athletic sense of freedom and power. Other looks include a second-skin silk bodysuit worn under a dress, offering up another spin on the play between body and adornment.
The haute couture runway show also formed a natural debut for Delfina Delettrez Fendi’s first high jewelry collection for the house, which deploys fluid and precise forms to form a natural extension of the clothing. Fendi is of course first and foremost an accessories house, and this practice came together with those of couture and jewelry design in the jewel box minaudières that most of the models clutched preciously to their chest.
While much of the Fendi identity is perceived in more overt graphic staples like the double Fs, the baguette bag, and distinct hardware, Kim Jones and Delfina Delettrez Fendi have made a strong case that it contains a deeper sensibility as well. Reimagining core brand values and updating couture practices for a contemporary woman, the gorgeous collection offers a fluid and focused vision of the most refined side of Fendi.