Milan: Fendi for Frieze and Fabulous

The first hint that we were about to experience something really special was the wonderful scent of pine that wafted through the fall 2007 show space of Fendi, Thursday afternoon in Milan. Then we saw a spectacular, modernist and cerebreal lineup of great clothes.

All that time Karl Lagerfeld's been spending viewing contemporary art paid dividends with a genuinely eye-popping set of a wooden backdrop, seating bleachers and catwalk all in freshly cut pine that recalled a cool art gallery booth in London at Frieze or in Miami at Art Basel. It also immediately injected a savvy "on est au courant" air to a molto traditional label like Fendi.

Featuring the best casting we've seen in Milan – Natascha Poly, Valentina, Lara Stone, Suvi to name a few – the collection was a testament to the way that fur still drives designers to new sartorial heights. From remarkable harlequin sleeved and cuffed white mink jackets to zig zag patterned fox redingotes, this was a gutsy yet sophisticated display.

It was a wonderful interpretation of how to use volume in a way that is novel, flattering and, above all, never improbable. The opening featured some great micro minis with curvy trim, before moving to subtly ballooned looks sure to flatter less than ideal figures.

Jesuit sleeved coats were cut high at the waist and accessoried with the best series of belts we seen in eons – faux cartridge numbers in suede or silk with hefty buckles bearing various takes on the Roman label's logo.

Fendi's unique Roman atelier performed wonders with mink blousons featuring wonderfully shaggy sleeves and a risque dress in a thousand leather shards.

Backed up with an amusingly obscure disco soundtrack, the sense of occasion was heightened by the wonderful scent of pine that permeated the show space on central via Sciesa.

Admittedly, the message had been a little telegraphed thanks to our favorite invite of the whole Italian season – a plywood cartoon on which was burned the latest Fendi logo, a topsy turvy spin on the label's five letters.

"It's scrambled, and done in the way that logos were first made. That's were the term brand comes from,” said a beaming Lagerfeld backstage, as the skimpily attired models knocked back ginger ale or Moet Chandon before getting back into the fabulous clobber for the second show.

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