After Kim Jones officially made his dazzling debut at FENDI’s Spring 2021 Couture, everybody got really excited about what the future of the brand’s womenswear line was going to look like. In presenting their Fall/Winter 2021 collection, Jones turns the page and opens a new chapter for the iconic Italian luxury label — one that builds upon the femininity and savoir-faire which have long defined the Fendi name and reinterprets that true Italian elegance from a new perspective.

In comparison to the brand’s Spring/Summer 2021 offerings, this range is filled with decidedly more autumnal colors, filled with shades of camel, beige, milk chocolate browns and pristine blacks. The wardrobes of the five Fendi sisters served as a foundational resource for Kim Jones here — from the bell sleeves of a washed mink and bonded suede coat to the pinstripes of their office attire, now rendered in silken shirting or perfectly proportioned wool tailoring. All of a sudden, a familiar utilitarian shirt jacket silhouette (inspired by Silvia Venturini Fendi’s daily uniform) is elevated and transformed into a new luxurious, shearling iteration with a bonded mink interior.

“The Fendi family are women of intellect who work hard – and that’s what I wanted to celebrate,” notes Jones. “A powerful dynasty.”

The chic double-cashmere outerwear becomes at once profoundly practical and deeply desirable, extending into mink tricot or wool-fringed scarves and being translated into draped shirts and dresses elsewhere. In several looks, knitwear morphs into cropped, off-shoulder tops, crocheted bras and nearly see-through dresses. “I’m taking the amazing, strong women who I both know and work with, and listening to their needs,” Jones notes. “There’s a usefulness to the collection, explored in a chic, timeless way.”

Some of the collection details are clearly drawn from Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy – note the understated omnipresence of the Karligraphy monogram or the FENDI First shoe whose architectural heel has evolved from an archival sketch. Motifs from Jones’ Couture collection are also reprised through marbled silk dresses, rosette blooms, and delicate organza embroideries on jacquard knits.

And of course, then comes the craftsmanship: mink herringbone jacket made featherlight through its suspended construction; leather suiting inset with ajour embroidery; Karligraphy monograms laser cut into suede. The embossed Selleria stitching applied to gabardine trenches, double cashmere coats and leather accessories, paying tribute to the meticulous exceptionalism of the Fendi artisans that will be quickly noted by women who wear the clothes. “Fun isn’t always just about bright colors,” says Jones. “It can be about really luxurious self-indulgence, which pleases the person wearing it more than anyone else.”

Rounding off the collection is a wealth of new accessories directed by Silvia Venturini Fendi and made appropriate for the brand’s new chapter. First off, the range debuts FENDI First, paying homage to the off-kilter irreverence of the brand and tilting the FENDI monogram into the frame of a clutch. Coming in a myriad of variations — from a size roomy enough to fit a tablet to a micro pouch strung as jewelry and rendered in shearling, leather and exotics — this one is true eye candy. Other recognizable handbag designs and silhouettes are presented and reinterpreted through a modern lens. This season also welcomes FENDI’s Hand in Hand project, which enlists craftspeople from each of Italy’s 20 regions to reimagine the iconic Baguette and translates Campania’s artisanal excellence into a limited-edition series of objets d’art.

Finally, Delfina Delettrez Fendi introduces a new jewelry range for the house — FENDI O’Lock, which evolves the FENDI logo into graphic modernity through its carabineer form and comes with padlocks that can only be opened by dialing FENDI. Wax seal pendants stamped with Karligraphy are strung from golden chains and embellished metal cuffs, reflecting the empowered sensibility of the FENDI woman.