Fendi Cruise – Maria Grazia Chiuri returned to Fendi after 37 years to shape her first Cruise collection for the brand—built as a lookbook and a three-minute short film rather than a trip to New York. Oltre Lo Specchio draws on Jacques de Bascher’s 1977 Histoire d’Eau, pairi
When Maria Grazia Chiuri’s name reappeared at Fendi after 37 years, it didn’t arrive like a whisper. It landed mid-conversation—after a friend’s breakup. no less—and with the kind of immediate certainty fashion people rarely bother to admit out loud. “If it’s meant to be, it will,” followed by the news that Chiuri had returned.
Cruise 2027 didn’t turn that return into a literal journey. New York was spared. Instead. the collection took its shape as a neatly packaged lookbook and a three-minute short film. Oltre Lo Specchio—Italian for Beyond the Mirror. Three minutes was enough to outline where Chiuri was looking: straight into Fendi’s archive. and into the kind of fashion cinema that doesn’t need runway geography to feel expansive.
Oltre Lo Specchio is presented as an homage to Jacques de Bascher’s 1977 short film Histoire d’Eau. created as part of Fendi’s first-ever ready-to-wear collection under Karl Lagerfeld’s vision for the brand. often cited as one of the first fashion shorts in history. Both films follow one woman. The difference in Chiuri’s version sits in how the wardrobe reads—less solitary, more shared, and noticeably more grown-up. Menswear and womenswear are framed in parallel. as if designed to complete each other. pointing toward clothes meant to last and to be repeated across multiple looks. days. and presumably. attempts.
The mood is deliberate and restrained. Colour is largely absent from the life the film seems to be building. Black and white is softened by beige, with occasional breaks of red, blue, or purple. When the palette refuses to enter, texture steps forward: leather patches, lace, and, inevitably, fur. Suits are structured but relaxed. Dresses skim the floor rather than weigh it down. The Fendi Baguette returns, studded—matching the studded insistence seen in the heels. Even nostalgia seems curated here, not out of habit: Valentino Rockstud appears enjoying its revival.
The sequence of references feels like a conversation across decades—1977’s Histoire d’Eau. Lagerfeld’s early ready-to-wear vision. and Chiuri’s own return to the brand after nearly four decades—each pointing to the same idea of repetition without stagnation: a wardrobe meant to move through time. not just through a season.
Fendi Cruise 2027 Maria Grazia Chiuri Roman archive Oltre Lo Specchio Jacques de Bascher Histoire d’Eau Karl Lagerfeld fashion film Fendi Baguette Valentino Rockstud couture heritage
So it’s like… fashion in Rome but no one actually went to New York? ok.
I don’t get why they’re making a 3 minute movie instead of just showing clothes. Like people can’t read a lookbook? Also “fur” in 2027… c’mon.
Wait, they said Chiuri returned after 37 years and it’s tied to some 1977 film about water? I’m guessing it’s literally about swimming costumes?? Lol fashion always confusing. The archive part sounds like they just found old stuff and remixed it.
Fendi Baguette back again, shocking. But the whole “repeat across looks” thing sounds like they’re trying to do sustainability without saying sustainability. Also the Valentino Rockstud mention felt random like who cares, it’s still just heels and bags.