Insta Fendi

>> It’s been one of those “Doh!” days where rain has compounded with absent-minded ness to wreck havoc on the morning. I stepped out on a scheduled mission of press days and openings only to discover whilst in town that I was sans camera. When faced with the mighty camera-friendly brand new three-floored Fendi boutique on New Bond Street, I had to turn to my trusty phone and Instagram. Thankfully surfaces, product and textures chez Fendi are such that even a non-bajillion-megapixel camera can sort of do justice.

Those gleaming warm-hued gold surfaces and rich textural contrasts, inspired by Fendi‘s Roman roots, follow the vibes of other big Bond Street “maisons” (see Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu…). Maybe it’s something to do with the colour gold and the way it basks you in an inviting and welcoming light but Fendi exploits this tried-and-tested luxury interiors formula with their own distinctive touches. 30,000 bronze spikes for instance as a backdrop to the Baguette wall. A chandelier that connects all three floors made out of 5,600 pieces of blue Murano glass. or a piece of bespoke piece depicting a tree made out of steel, pyrite and green foliage made out of leather and exotic skins. In fact, Fendi repeatedly highlights its know-how of surfaces and texture with blown-up and close-up squares of their maison textures, rendered in fur or otherwise.

The fun of Fendi can be found in their current window display where the Peekaboo bag is trapped inside an arcade pick-up machine – an impossible catch sadly no matter how many attempts. Delfina Delettrez’s collaborative jewellery perches inside a gilded cage and of course Fendi’s now ongoing kawaii staple, the bag bug, is dotted all over the ground floor accessories parlour. Downstairs in their new menswear floor (the first time the entirety of their menswear collection has been unleashed beyond Rome), growling Peekaboo eyes can be seen peeking out from an otherwise serious man bag.

The store is currently centred around all things Peekaboo to tie in with an auction of ten specially customised Peekaboo bags by ten “iconic” women with proceeds going to the charity Kids Company. Not sure how “iconic” these women are but they have come up trumps when it comes to putting imaginative spins on the bag. Special mention goes out to Adele’s fluttering eyelashes and beaded panels, Kate Adie’s beaded camouflage interior, Tanya Ling’s hand-painted white Peekaboo and Tracy Emin’s needlepoint exterior. They all go on auction online tonight at 6pm GMT.