In February 2021, Song Hye Kyo became the first Korean global ambassador for Fendi. This is the Fendi of Kim Jones, who was appointed Artistic Director of Fendi Womenswear in 2020, succeeding Karl Lagerfeld. Those are big shoes to fill but it also means that Fendi is being reimagined and we’ll be seeing more and more Fendi on big red carpets as he fine tunes his Fendi vision. This collection is his best yet for the house – here are a few highlights, these gowns are gorgeous and it’s not the same seeing them in still photos, you have to appreciate the movement.
Back to Song Hye Kyo then and the fact that she’s associated with the brand in this new era. But probably some of you reading this might not know who she is. Well, she’s important enough to have been seated front row at the Fendi show next to Bernard Arnault himself.


Kyo is a megastar. Cinephiles may recognise her from Wong Kar-wai’s The Grand Master starring Tony Leung in the lead role. (The cinematography in this film is amazing.) In South Korea they refer to her as part of The Troika, one of the three actresses (alongside Kim Tae Hee and Jun Ji Hyun) considered to be the most popular, and over the course of almost two decades. They’re all around the same age, stupidly beautiful, their drama series are highly rated, and they get the best endorsement deals.
Kim Tae Hee and Jun Ji Hyun have scaled things down over the last few years after they got married and had kids. Song Hye Kyo however…
Well this is one of the biggest gossip stories in the entertainment industry.
Kyo starred in a series called Descendants of the Sun in 2016. It’s a romance drama about a doctor, played by Kyo, and a military special forces captain, played by Song Joong Ki, one of the biggest actors in Korea, and it was a massive hit across Asia. People went bonkers over this show. The story itself is not good but the chemistry between Kyo and Joong Ki was undeniable, so I was totally shipping them along with everyone else.
And even more so when they announced their engagement the following year. They were married in October 2017, the ultimate power couple. Look at this portrait.

Can you even? Why are they so beautiful?!
Not even two years later, in the summer of 2019, they suddenly confirmed their divorce. All kinds of rumours ensued about why they broke up and as far as I can tell, though there are theories, no one really has a legit read on the situation. What was encouraging, though, for Song Hye Kyo, is that her career was not affected. Despite advancements in culture and technology, Korean society is still profoundly male-dominated and the gender wage gap is one of the worst among industrialised countries. With all the speculation about the Song-Song couple split, and some saying it was because she didn’t want to give up her work, and unfounded rumours about infidelity, the fact that she pretty much was able to carry on the way it was before the marriage is a testament to her enduring celebrity. And now, at 40 years old, which is not old, obviously, but when so many of her contemporaries are following a traditional path, she’s in Paris, repping a luxury brand, and wearing the sh-t out of this outfit.
I mean, this is just great tailoring. The jacket is beautifully cut. I love the flap on one side over the shorts. And I have never been as into a pair of Fendi shoes as I am into these:

This is a perfect mary-jane, from the shape of the toe to the height of the heel to the width of the strap and that shade of beige is exactly right. Also, school uniform styles have been my whole jam for an entire year – and it looks like that will continue.