The looks were all in neutral shades, both to reflect the mineral colors of the city and the organic shades that have dominated in Fendi’s history. The models walked through a group of Damien Hirst-ish, F-shaped vitrines in which were scattered a multitude of apparent architectural fragments not unlike those that ornament the Roman Forum. Also like Rome itself, Fendi wasn’t built in a day: Adele and Eduardo Fendi opened their first shop on Via del Plebiscito back in 1926, dropping their first Selleria bags and leather goods six years later. Where we start.” But where exactly do you start with Fendi? Like Rome itself this house bristles with monuments of design, historical landmarks, and beguilingly beautiful vistas. “So that was England to Rome,” said Jones of couture, “and this is England in Rome. For his first women’s ready-to-wear show Jones delved deep into some of the stories most meaningful to the Roman house-hat-tipping along the way the many people who previously helped shape it-and thus began in earnest the process of adding his new voice to that narrative. Last month at couture the English designer Kim Jones evoked a story long meaningful to him, cast it with those he considers friends and family, and articulated it through his newly-assumed role at Fendi.
