MILAN–If Silvia Venturini Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld’s spring collection for Fendi was a crazy mix of mad-scientist-meets-Milanese-woman, then, well, we don’t even know what to make of Fall 2012.

One thing we are sure about though, is that whatever it was, it involved a lot of layers and contrasting textures. Skirts and dresses were cut through with panels of pleated fabric; in some cases there were two panels which overlapped on one another. Wool coats and dresses had fur sleeves, and much of the outerwear was cleverly crafted to look as if a shorter jacket was layered over top of a longer one. One of our favorite looks was one such coat, which despite having fuzzy fur pockets, was one of the more restrained looks of the collection.

Though you can’t see it in the photos, several of the looks had strange-looking bustles in the back, made out of pleated fabric and leather. It kind of looked like the model had tucked part of her shirt into her underpants, not to mention it added several bulky inches to her backside and hips–something we really can’t imagine too many women would want.

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When you think of Max Mara, you think of minimalism and camel coats. It’s true the brand’s signature clean lines were still there for fall, and yes, there were a number of camel coats, but the brand also exhibited a more playful and adorned aesthetic than seasons passed–a mix we’d call ’60s swinger meets Oliver Twist.

Mixed in among the minimalist staples were workwear-inspired pieces like an olive green jumpsuit or an overalls dress with leather straps. Newsboy caps topped many of the looks in matching colors and when paired with the more rugged outfits the effect was a sort of modern, feminine, Oliver Twist. However when the caps were matched with sleeker looks like a body fitting dress or a turtleneck sweater the aesthetic reminded us more of a 60s mod girl– and a little bit of Victoria Beckham‘s spring collection for that matter.

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