A Tale of Two Cities: Paris & Milan
A look from Dior’s SS 2023 collection, as photographed for WWD
My son has a book in which two types of dinosaurs “face off” in an imaginary battle, and you try to guess which one wins. I thought, with it being Fashion Week all over the world, let’s have a “face off” between two major cities, represented by two major brands! Et, viola - cette article.
At first glance, Kim Jones’ SS 2023 collection for Fendi couldn’t be more different than Maria Grazia Chiuri’s collection for Dior. At Fendi, the runway stood as a neutral backdrop, the better to showcase the pops of color that burst through an otherwise neutral palette. At Dior, the runway in itself practically stole the show, from the massive cave-like structure at it’s center, to the gyrating dancers that frankly, for me, were a distraction (even as I appreciate that it was a political statement). The collection at Fendi embodied a more bespoke form of luxury, featuring satiny, silky fabrics that billowed just ever so slightly with the movement of the model’s hips down the runway, cut as they were - not quite on the bias, but figure-skimming. By contrast, at Dior the look was dramatic in use of silhouette, with a bulbous skirt reminiscent of 18th or 19th century fashion, a marriage between a hoop skirt and the bustle favored in the late 19th / early 20th century. The fabrics paid homage to the cottage industries of yesteryear; one might imagine a spinning wheel or a handloom at work behind the scenes.
In fact, these collections had much more in common than initially meets the eye. First of all, let’s explore the role of Italy and Italian culture in France. Chiuri has explained that her inspiration for this collection was Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman, who was wedded at the behest of her uncle, Pope Clement II, to the soon-to-be King of France, Henry II. Initially her impact on the country was minimal, but following the death of Henry II, Catherine became regent to each of her three sons who subsequently took the throne, and therefore exerted great power over policies and culture. (In his book “Dirt,” Bill Buford examines the possibility that certain cooking techniques made famous in France actually originated from the de Medici court.)
Then, one might recollect that Chiuri staged the 2021 Cruise Collection in Lecce, Puglia, a picturesque Italian town, and that many of the pieces were made in collaboration with La Costantine Foundation, whose mission is the the continuation of traditional textile making. Chiuri’s father himself is from this region.
Fendi, on the other hand, originated in Milan. Founded in 1925, it originally specialized in luggage and fur. In fact the double-F logo designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld stood for “Fun Fur.” Of course these days using real fur is taboo, so it’s essential that the house has found it’s footing in RTW and, of course, handbags - as the Baguette’s longevity can attest. Kim Jones, stepping into the role after Lagerfeld’s death, already had a full time job - as the creative director of menswear, at….drum roll please….DIOR!
Jones was born in England, to a British father and a Danish mother, and from an early age was inspired by the boho-chic aesthetic of the Bloomsbury Group, a Sussex-based community of artists and creatives at the turn of the 20th century. Jones’ first collection for Fendi was largely inspired by the work of one of it’s members, Virginia Woolfe, and her tale of gender-bending and time-travel in “Orlando,” which incidentally was published in 1928 just a few years after Fendi had opened its doors.
While these two collections appear at first to be wildly dissimilar, upon closer reflection they are both the result of a careful, studied, and of course inspired interpretation of politics and history, deeply immersed in each designer’s own respective upbringing and culture. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
