A look at Silvia Venturi Fendi’s final collection for Fendi’s SS21 show

Drawing from her introspection over the course of the global pandemic, her latest and last co-ed collection for Fendi focused on the theme of shadows and reflections.

(L-R) Leonetta Luciano Fendi, Giulio Delettrez Fendi, Anna Fendi and Delfina Delettrez Fendi at the Fendi Spring Summer 2021 Show. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Fendi)

As much as 2020’s whirlwind of events has deemed fashion shows as passé, Milan Fashion Week SS21 has officially kicked off yesterday. Fendi led the pack, marking Silvia Venturi Fendi’s final womenswear collection for the house before newly appointed artistic director Kim Jones takes over.

Having spent quality time with family in her home in Rome, it proved to be a silver lining – “a catalyst for quiet introspection: at the window or in the garden, watching the world go by.”

Drawing from her introspection over the course of the global pandemic, her latest and last co-ed collection for Fendi focused on the theme of shadows and reflections. Flora prints and latticework furs highlighted the house’s craftmanship across sheer dresses and tunics, coats and skirts, shirts and blouses.

Linen formed the key fabric of the collection, adorned with cotton, feathers, fur and eiderdown quilting that conjures images of embroidered bedding and tableware – tokens often passed down from mother to child.

The colour palette was predominantly soft and neutral, with the occasional sky blue, cardinal red and cinematic black making an appearance. Matching the play of lightness and depth in the ready-to-wear, the accessories also experimented with construction and embellishment – such as the Baguette and Peekaboo bags that feature embroidered silk veils, floral fur and cotton ajouré.

Under casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro’s watch, there was a diverse cast of models walking down the intimate runway in Milan. Supermodel mom Ashley Graham also made her first appearance on the runway after giving birth to her son, Isaac, eight months ago.

(L-R) Paul Mescal, Kim Jones and Rita Ora attend the Fendi Spring Summer 2021 Show. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Fendi )

A number of notable guests attended the socially-distanced show to commemorate the designer’s swan song, most notably the Fendi family: Silvia’s mom Anna Fendi, her daughters Delfina Delettrez Fendi and Leonetta Luciano Fendi, and her son Giulio Cesare Delettrez Fendi. They were joined by Silvia’s successor Kim Jones as well as celebrities Rita Ora, Paul Mescal, Adèle Exarchopolous, Caro Daur, Siobhan Bell and Bryan Boy.

Discover our favourite looks from the collection in the gallery below.