At Fendi’s Fall 2019 show, held on Thursday in Milan, small cards were left on each seat printed with Lagerfeld’s signature and 19.02.2019, the date of his passing. There was also a quote from Silvia Venturini Fendi. It read:
“The bond between Karl Lagerfeld and Fendi is fashion’s longest love story, one that will continue to touch our lives for years to come. I am profoundly saddened by his passing and deeply touched by his constant care and perseverance until the very end. When we called just a few days before the show, his only thoughts were on the richness and beauty of the collection. It’s a true testament to his character. He shall be so missed.”
As the models took their final walk, showgoers noticed many of them were tearing up, including Gigi Hadid, who closed the show in a canary yellow dress with the double-F logo Lagerfeld created. Here are just a few tweets that captured the emotion of the show.
gigi was in tears while closing the fendi show.. karl will be so missed 💛 pic.twitter.com/gYqHSlRC6p
— ✧Chiara (@flawlesshadid_) February 21, 2019
Along with Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Adwoa Aboah, and Bella Hadid also walked the show.
From Karl’s final show for Fendi. I could be mistaken, but it looked like a few of the models were holding back tears. A final tribute video showed Karl sketching, from perfect memory, his first design for Fendi. What year is this from, an interviewer asked. “1965,” he said pic.twitter.com/PdEv8P36Kb
— Matthew Schneier (@MatthewSchneier) February 21, 2019
“Well that’s prehistoric,” Lagerfeld joked of sketching his first day at Fendi in 1965. “You know, in the Sixties, we didn’t hold back.”
Gigi walking in Karl’s final collection for Fendi & she was crying. 😭 💛 #MFW
pic.twitter.com/b51qxtCJRL— Khushi☁️🦄 (@TooMuchKHUSHI) February 21, 2019
In an Instagram post, Hadid paid tribute to Lagerfeld saying, “Thank you for believing in me and for the beautiful, incredible opportunities you brought to my career, but mostly, thank you for giving me the honor of knowing the magic behind the myth.”
“Heroes” by David Bowie for the Fendi finale music. Lots of models crying post-show. ♥️
— Emma Hope Allwood (@emmahopeall) February 21, 2019
A Bowie fan, the late designer once told the Associated Press that the singer was “a great artist and a timeless fashion icon…who will remain a reference.”
the @fendi show notes come with sketches of karl lagerfeld’s final collection 💔 #mfw #fendiaw19 pic.twitter.com/9toPjzXRVS
— Maria Bobila (@bobilapizza) February 21, 2019
The collection’s high-collared shirts were a fitting nod to Lagerfeld’s signature starched white high-neck shirt.
“In the ‘60s we didn’t hold back” – Karl Lagerfeld in a farewell video @fendi #MFW pic.twitter.com/U7btLnxOda
— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) February 21, 2019
According to Vogue, Lagerfeld drew himself in black sharpie wearing “Cerruti hat, long hair, dark glasses, a printed lavallière tie, Norfolk jacket in Scottish tweed in red and yellow, French culottes, boots, and ‘a bag I found in Milan.'”
Thank you Karl for the most beautiful journey
With all our love
Your Fendi family pic.twitter.com/RCRcdg9bRM— Fendi (@Fendi) February 19, 2019
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