A furry monster dangled from the model’s hand at the start of Fendi’s show in Milan on Thursday. It had white hair with a punk Mohawk tip in pink, a stiff white high collar and a black necktie above a gray fur jacket.
“It’s Karl,” whispered the crowd. And they were left in no doubt when Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi took their bows for the winter 2014 show with the furry totem waving in front of them.
The Fendi collection was witty, furry, sporty and also romantic — not just with the midcalf skirts, zippered at the front; the soft shorts, and tufts of fur on casual coats. Mr. Lagerfeld also made a sweet gesture with orchids pinned into fur at the neckline, their petals trembling with the models’ every movement.
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“A very romantic touch,” said Mr. Lagerfeld, saying he came up with the idea after hearing a recording of Billie Holiday singing “You brought me violets for my furs,” from the 1958 tune that has snowy New York turning into a blue-sky spring.
That transformation might well apply to Fendi itself, where the collaboration between the two principals has flowered. A fine balance was struck between Ms. Venturini Fendi’s bright, fur-trimmed bags, colorful handles clashing pink or orange with yellow to create a funky modern elegance; and Mr. Lagerfeld at his best, when rivulets of fur flowed out of long, slim dresses.
The designer also introduced a strong sport-and-sex element, with mesh to reveal flesh. Colors like olive green or mud brown had a faint resonance of the 1970s. All the clothes kept a subtle balance between a full-on fur statement and skins used as decoration.
Drone cameras zoomed over the show; the brand said it was the first time such images would be used in live streaming of the event. And the venue’s walls were artistically splodged with futurist camouflage patterns and the words: “Fendi Made in Italy.”
The company’s collaboration with art and craft is on a roll at this moment — and all the sweeter to say that with flowers.