Imperial Dreams

To mark Fendi’s ninetieth, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld staged a couture show worthy of the company’s multimillion-euro renovation of Rome’s Trevi Fountain, writes Alex Frank.

- Alex Frank

On a steamy summer day in Rome, Silvia Venturini Fendi, head of accessories and mens wear for her family’s storied luxury brand, steps out of a chauffeured Mercedes and strides past the glorious Fontana di Trevi, which is once again gleaming thanks to a Fendi-led multimillioneuro, multi-year facelift. The 1762 baroque sculpture is a fitting stage for what, in a few hours, will be the house’s couture show—its second ever—celebrating the company’s ninetieth anniversary. Outside the Palazzo Poli, scooters whizz by and tourists spill out of cafés into the heat. Inside, model-ebrities Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner roam the makeshift backstage in black robes, eyes glued to their phones, as last-minute adjustments are made to the massive transparent runway laid over the fountain’s pool that will enable these beauties to walk on water. How else to showcase the Fall 2016-17 couture collection delivered by the indefatigable Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi’s creative visionary for 51 years?