Fendi mixes disco bling and Italian nostalgia in Carra‑themed Milan Fashion Week show

Models walk the runway during the Fendi collection show as part of Women’s Spring/Summer 2027 Milan’s fashion week September 23, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Thursday, 24 Sep 2026 4:26 PM MYT

Last Modified: Thursday, 24 Sep 2026 4:27 PM MYT

MILAN, Sept 24 — Fendi’s Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled a wardrobe of sensual, sheer, 1970s-influenced looks yesterday at Milan Fashion Week, inspired by legendary performer Raffaella Carra.

In her second Milan collection for the Rome-based brand, Chiuri alternated between nightclub and boudoir, with mostly black, sheer and airy dresses, plunging V necklines and backless cuts — along with fringes and feather boas for good measure.

Models strutted in front of mirrors inspired by the 1974 Italian TV variety show known by scores of Italians in which Carra famously danced to Prisencolinensinainciusol, an iconic hit sung in English-sounding gibberish by pop star Adriano Celentano.

A model walks the runway during the Fendi collection show as part of Women’s Spring/Summer 2027 Milan’s fashion week September 23, 2026. — AFP pic

Carra, a singer, dancer, actress and television presenter known to generations of Italians for her blond hairdo, energetic dance moves and often exposed midriff, died in 2021.

“Raffaella had a strong awareness of her body and a great sense of fashion, which had a big influence on us,” Chiuri said on Instagram of the collection.

The day after Prada’s all-skirt collection and Diesel’s night-out silhouettes, the men at Fendi brought back tunics worn over jeans, while the women revived their sequined caps and furs, symbols of the LVMH-owned brand.

Dozens of anti-fur protesters demonstrated outside Fendi’s show, where in the front row sat celebrities such as Monica Bellucci and Bang Chan, a member of the South Korean group Stray Kids.

Models present creations during the Antonio Marras collection show as part of Women’s Spring/Summer 2027 Milan’s fashion week September 23, 2026. — AFP pic

Earlier yesterday, Sardinian designer Antonio Marras used an urban park for his runway, presenting military jackets and wide grey suits embroidered with flowers, nostalgic silk or tulle dresses and deconstructed parkas.

The mixed Spring/Summer 2027 collection evokes “the day after the night, when you’re still wearing your party clothes and have sea salt on your skin,” the designer explained in a statement.

Marras’s models of all ages walked down a basketball court covered in rugs opposite his Milan workshop, before dancing around a wedding table.

At Jil Sander, Simone Bellotti — now in his second year as creative director — continued to explore the house’s core codes: understated and functional.

Jackets were strict, grey, fitted with broad shoulders, yet long and comfortable.

Beyond the deluge of grey, the palette was pastel, with beiges, yellows and blues.

“The uniform becomes vulnerable. Vulnerability, in turn, becomes the uniform,” the brand said on Instagram. — AFP