The show notes to the Fendi Spring/ Summer 2018 Men's collection was an interesting composition. Instead of a few ritualistic and taciturn paragraphs, it was an upbeat and lively poem. It depicts a man's state of mind on, presumably, a Friday morning. He is torn — excited at the thought of the impending weekend, yet dreading the day's work. He stands before his wardrobe and weighs his sartorial options.
"The cards to play with:
suits, big blousons, sleeveless shirts.
Shorts, tracksuits, silk shirts.
Slingback loafers, running socks.
Neckties, anytime.
Reversible bags to carry the weight of the week,
changing mood in a flip."
The man throws in the towel and decides to work remotely, from home or a coworking space nearby. He picks out a weekend outfit — a T-shirt and shorts, but throws on his favourite jacket.
"Humour, sitting behind a desk.
The top and the bottom don't match.
Ditto for the front and the back.
Just call it the Skype look."
He laughs at himself for looking like a news broadcaster. Instead of appearing on television, he appears on Skype meetings and conferences — for such is the remote and coworking work culture of today.
The man goes live on Skype. "That's a nice jacket," his business partner comments. He explains that clothes are, in fact, all quotidian and lifeless objects, but his Fendi jacket has a touch of art and the artist's life.
"Ordinary objects, either micro or macro,
glorified by Sue Tilley's artistic brushstrokes."
The artist Sue Tilley is British. She symbolises a bygone era — the charged youth subcultures of London in the '80s.
"Corporate escapism, the Fendi way," he concludes.
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