FINALLY FENDI!

FENDI SPRING 2013 BY KARL LAGERFELDThe FENDISpring 2013 campaign is beautiful!  It's great to see one of Rome's premiere houses (now part of LVMH) shining bright this season.   So many times the collection sits in the shadow of that other project of designer Karl Lagerfeld.. you know.. a little company called CHANEL!   The French house of all things Couture is a global phenomenon, and Karl's creative process clearly starts onRue Cambon and eventually trickles over to Rome. 

FENDI SPRING 2013 BY KARL LAGERFELD1973 Lagerfeld started his design collaboration with the FENDI sisters.  Forty years later (Amazing!!), Karl maintains the collaboration with this Roman house of Luxury fashion.   Too many times though, FENDI can feel like CHANEL lite.  If CHANEL has wide belts, then FENDI has wide belts.   Bag in a bag this year at CHANEL?  Then it's bag in a bag next year at FENDI.  To be fair, designers all over the world copy Karl's designs at CHANEL.  I guess it makes sense Karl does it himself!FENDI - 2JOUR MEDIUM SATCHEL - $2,890.00

It's not a mystery, Karl Lagerfeld's rebirth of CHANEL in 1983 would ultimately change the face of the fashion world.  Karl's vision of COCO CHANEL's legacy achieved a level of success that surprised everyone in the industry.   It also was not an overnight game changer.   In the nineties, CHANEL had started it's own stable of brands a la LVMH or PPR (Soon to be Kering).   CHANEL financially backed the NY based designer Isaac Mizrahi, bought the legendary British game-hunting gunmaker  Holland & Holland,  acquired designer bathing suit company ERES, and FENDI BAGUETTE - SPRING 2013 - $2,190.00even planned a launch of a lower priced collection for CHANEL-aptly named BEIGE.  It did not come to fruition.   Then came the birth of the handbag obsession.  Luxury brands across the world quickly realized the growing potential for millions of new clients that could aspire to be clients of the most exclusive brands in the world via a handbag.   The bags served a dual purpose, 1) spreading the brands fame and 2) garnering huge profits at the same time.   All the other projects fell by the way side and CHANEL became the worlds ultimate luxury fashion brand.  Eres remains a star in the CHANEL universe.

FENDI spring 2013 is graphic, modern, and colorful.  While I'm often critical of Karl's shoulders at CHANEL (round and challenging) - at Fendi they are crisp and flattering.  The use of feathers and fur and color is exotic and just beautiful.   The colorful FENDI TIMEPIECES are unique - at a time when watches are all blending in.CHANEL SPRING 2013 BY KARL LAGERFELD - FASHION THERAPY SESSION? FILL IN THE BLANK - "WHY DID I ...."

The CHANEL campaign is always beautiful.  This season it seems the CHANEL girl is in Japan.  One shot even looks as if we are in on a Japanese therapy session.   Think Tatami mats instead of a Chesterfield Sofa!     Well.. in keeping with a therapy session - I want you to think about what we discussed and how it makes you feel - that's all the time we have for today!  

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