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Published on November 20, 2007

On an 85-metre stretch of the wall at Juyongguan Pass, 50 kilometres northwest of Beijing, it presented 88 outfits for spring-summer 2008 and a special collection created by Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Fendi chairman Micheal Burke was joined in the gallery by some of the trade's biggest names and celebrities including Zhang Zi Yi, Kate Bosworth, Jeon Do Yeon and Thandie Newton.

Fendi's "Wall" collection melded Roman expertise in material manipulation with classic Chinese black and prosperous red in ready-to-wear ensembles mixing East and West.

A draped-collar top resembling the traditional qipo was matched with heavily layered tutu skirts. Belts are made from a solid sheet of metal, yielding a sense of Chinese armour.

The models' skin was dyed white to evoke the ideal female aristocratic look, and their eyes were heavily made up like those of characters from Chinese opera. They wore silver headdresses and long, black dresses - also qipo-inspired - with embroidered flat shoes, and carried Baguette bags with red tassels, influenced by oriental tones.

The spring-summer creations played with circles, rings, spirals and circumferences, rotating and revolving for different angles on the same theme.

There were transparencies that teased the eye with what lay beneath and volumes that opened and wrapped in evanescent pink, milky white, luminous yellow, dusty blue, sunset mauve and black.

The new look, with everything curving and tapering, utilised new cuts and constructions and ultra-light materials like linen "technocanvas", damier organza and patent crepe. There were net and guipure details, fur blooms, applique leather ribbons and chain-heeled sandals.

Waistlines were enhanced by belts with "goldsmith" buckles and mosaic in lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, tiger's eye, crysoprase, calcedonium and jasper.

The Nation