Milan Fashion Week: Fendi

Before the Fendi show today I was able to preview the collection backstage. Everything at Fendi usually looks better close up, thanks to the amazing construction. This season the furs were treated to a process the P.R. called "molecular gold". It was a way of infusing the fur with real gold that leaves it soft and will never come off. The effect was of a very expensive hair highlights, but neat nevertheless.

The bags were by far the strongest point. Sylvia Fendi said that she's no longer giving them names. "There are more strange names around for bags than there are for children," she said. There were precious few logos too. Instead each was a mix of many leathers. "The production will be a problem," she said "because if one supplier is late the bag can't be made. But we think it is worth it." She's counting on the brand's signature thick stitching and a new leather that looks like mink to carry the brand identity.

The brand's new identity will also be seen in the new store design in Paris next week. C.E.O. Michael Burke said he's been working for the last four years "to put a dagger into the heart of the black cave concept."

I haven't seen the stores in Rome or China, so I'll let you know what it is like when I get to Paris. Apparently there will be a big party on the roof.