Fendi Reclaims Body-Conscious Dressing with Freedom, Sensuality, and Italian Flair

Published: September 24, 2026 Last Updated 13 hours ago by FPN

Maria Grazia Chiuri’s second ready-to-wear collection for Fendi emphasised that true sensuality starts with autonomy.

Presented at Milan Fashion Week, the Spring/Summer 2027 show celebrated choice, movement, and confidence.

Rather than dictating appearance, Chiuri designed garments that allow the wearer to choose how much to reveal or conceal, all while honoring Fendi’s heritage of lightness, craftsmanship, and Roman spirit.

Guests received invitations featuring a line from e.e. cummings: “When I like my body, it is with your body.” This quote established a focus on human connection and self-awareness.

The runway was set in a mirrored space inspired by Luciano Fabro’s Mirror Cube and the vibrant 1970s television performances of Raffaella Carrà and Adriano Celentano on Milleluci.

Models walked a reflective corridor as the audience viewed them through glass, creating layered reflections that blended spectators with the clothes. This effect, both voyeuristic and intimate, highlighted Chiuri’s view that fashion, like identity, is shaped by relationships.

The soundtrack, featuring Carrà’s disco-era energy, reinforced a joyful and liberated mood throughout the collection.

Chiuri has cited Carrà’s fearless presence and the vitality of those mirrored performances as inspiration. This spirit translated into clothing designed for freedom of movement rather than restriction.

Lingerie was central to the collection, with lace-trimmed bralettes, French knickers, bloomers, and sheer slips presented as statement pieces rather than hidden underpinnings.

Salmon-pink lace sets, pistachio silk bralette-and-boxer combinations, and black lace-edged slips appeared on the runway with the same authority as tailored suits. Plunge-front sheer midi dresses, delicate straps, and thigh-high playsuits with cutouts celebrated the body without making exposure the only path to allure.

Chiuri rejected the notion that sensuality requires vulnerability.

These clothes return control to the wearer, allowing for either full display or subtle layering. The result is modern, empowering, and body-conscious while remaining comfortable.

Even heavier pieces maintained an airy feel.

A slender Napoleonic cape coat was paired with distressed denim, and plush opera coats added drama without heaviness. Sequined, fringed, and patterned Baguette bags brought sparkle and movement to Fendi’s iconic silhouette.

Fur tippets, folkloric vests, head scarves, and fringe referenced 1970s Italian glamour and Fendi’s tradition of using fur for lightness and sensuality, not just luxury.

Silhouettes were long and fluid, contouring the body without restriction. Bias-cut dresses, sheer dance dresses, and jersey catsuits with cutouts and grommets echoed Carrà’s style while remaining practical.

Animal prints combined with soft pastels such as dusty rose, butter yellow, eau de nil, and lemon, alongside black, copper, khaki, and chocolate. Military-inspired tailoring, braided details, and detached collars, now a Chiuri signature at Fendi, added structure and edge.

Men’s looks followed the same free-spirited approach, featuring tunics over jeans, sequined pieces, and shared wardrobe elements that blurred gender lines. The co-ed presentation reinforced Chiuri’s commitment to clothing beyond traditional hierarchy.

Chiuri has long treated clothing as a vehicle for ideas.

At Dior, she featured “We Should All Be Feminists” on T-shirts; at Fendi, the focus has shifted to collective connection: “Less I. More Us.” Spring 2027 embodied this philosophy, showing that glamour can coexist with ease and that sensuality flourishes when the wearer has control.

Layered looks remained light, and theatrical accessories complemented rather than overshadowed the wearer. Every choice, from sheer to solid or lace to suiting, felt intentional.

In a fashion world often dominated by branding, Chiuri’s focus on the relationship between garment and wearer felt timely and refreshing.

She has noted that Fendi’s fur heritage is about more than material; it centres on proximity to the body, sensuality, and lightness. These values guided the season.

The audience reflected the collection’s inclusive and multi-generational appeal.

Rachel Zegler, Yara Shahidi, Iris Law, Monica Bellucci, Maisie Williams, and others filled the front row, many carrying updated Baguette or Peekaboo bags adorned with fringe, sequins, and texture.

Their presence highlighted Fendi’s ability under Chiuri to engage both established stars and emerging talent in a shared conversation about style and self-expression.

Fendi Spring 2027 succeeds by balancing historical grounding with a forward-looking approach. It draws from Italian popular culture, poetic intimacy, and artistic conceptualism without becoming overly delicate.

The collection celebrates the body while preserving the wearer’s agency.

In a time when fashion often feels over-mediated and brand-focused, Chiuri redirected attention to the pleasure of clothing that moves with you and allows personal choice in presentation.

The result is a wardrobe defined by autonomy: lingerie that serves as eveningwear, coats that float, bags that add drama without excess, and tailoring that conveys quiet strength.

Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Fendi continues to evolve as a house where sensuality, craftsmanship, and freedom coexist.

For Spring 2027, this combination feels both desirable and essential: body basics reimagined with intelligence, joy, and freedom of movement.