Fendi SS14: Micro chips, macro ideas

Written by Karl Lagerfeld himself, the show notes for Fendi's SS14 show described it as having been 'inspired by the world of informatics' and 'hyperlinking'. Lagerfeld's well-documented love of new technologies (his umpteen ipods, his cat's Twitter account) may have seemed to be a self-indulgent way to build a collection (especially for a fur house), but the clothes said otherwise. Using a computer circuit board as a leitmotif, he created dresses of tonal pink organza layers with graphic micro-chip edges, leather jackets in with the same technic edges, tiny metallic skirts that glimmered like cyber particles and pencil dresses overlaid with layers of filmy plastic. It was like stepping into the matrix. The bags provided a humorous note - little fluffs of ultra-light fur that the models carried like puppies. Karl can do big concepts but still keep his tongue in cheek.