MILAN, September 29, 2004 – Karl Lagerfeld turned his Fendi collection into a statement about print, color, and jersey dressing. He worked two separate palettes simultaneously—one a slew of rich, muddy, purplish darks, the other, rainbow streaks of acid yellows, electric blues, and greens—for everything from swimwear to vaguely forties day dresses to long, slender, scarflike gowns.
Fendi's famous furs got the same painterly treatment, in multicolored fluffy cardigans and hippie deluxe perforated-fur vests. The house's new Spy bag, designed with secret pockets to stash lipsticks, sunglasses, cash, and cell phones, showed up in variations ranging from Deco-patterned velvet evening clutches to oversize brown squashy leathers.
The collection looked best when Lagerfeld turned his attention to the possibilities of a new, longer length—a trend that's emerging strongly. Backstage, for those still puzzled about his color palette, the designer said that he was inspired by a recent exhibition of work by the Spanish painter Joan Miró.
– Sarah Mower
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