Fendi brings disco bling, Italian style, to Milan Fashion Week

Fendi's Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled a wardrobe of sensual, sheer, 1970s-influenced looks Wednesday 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.

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.

Earlier Wednesday, 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.