Silvia Venturini Fendi asserts creative control with a colorful, youthful Milan runway collection

By COLLEEN BARRY
AP Fashion Writer

MILAN (AP) — Silvia Venturini Fendi has taken full creative control of her family’s fashion house, unleashing her powers on a co-ed Spring-Summer 2026 collection previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday that displayed the heritage Italian brand’s craft and fantasy.

A color block Peekaboo bag with the opening look set the stage for the joyous, youthful collection that burst with color and floral detailing. The palette featured deep reds, bright turquoise, bubblegum pinks with black and brown neutrals.

Cut-out daisy petals on jackets and dresses popped with contrast piping. A soft stuffed flower was stuck on a handbag like a favorite toy or totem. Blurred floral prints on sheers lending a dreamy effect. Pleats were layered into skirts and worn with sheer floral lace blouses. And in the technical pinnacle: a fur coat fashioned from adjoining florets. In short, a marvel of technique with every look.

“It’s about a relaxed and colorful sense of ease with a romantic elegance,” Venturini Fendi said in notes, adding that she was attracted by the duality of combining “simple gestures and complex work.”

Perforated leather coats, jackets and sporty side-zipped skirts combine durability and workmanship in a way that transcends trends and seasons.

The brand’s beloved Peekaboo handbags had fanciful twists, showing off sequins or tinsel inside, while scrunched leather handbags featured wooden beading details. The new sling back shoe proved tricky, forcing a couple of models to stop and adjust the straps.

Since last fall, Venturini Fendi has been the sole creative director of both the menswear and womenswear collections and her confidence is in full bloom. Always a family affair, Venturini Fendi’s daughter Delfina Delettrez Fendi created gold cuffs, gold and enamel pendants and coral-shaped FF earrings for the looks.