Barbarians at the gate? Karl Lagerfeld imagined not Wall Street beasts (relevant though they would be right about now), but the strong types of the Middle Ages. He turned the house of Fendi into a medieval manor with a power trip of a collection full of chic savages decked in extraordinary furs and skins, as well as modern crusaders turned out like lovely, latter-day Joans of Arc.

Things started out dark and intense with a black series of peak-shouldered outerwear and faux-distressed looks, such as a high-waisted bubble skirt worn with a T-shirt fitted with a yoke of leather that trailed off the back like the military garb of the old ages. That recurring theme played out in molded leather bustiers worn over draped knit dresses, some hooded, as well as in the accessories, namely leather wrist warmers and knee-high boots cut out across the arch of the foot. Lest it get too armored and monastic, Lagerfeld softened things up with more romantic fare, such as a few terrific velvet dresses, either plain or draped to simple perfection in crimson red.

If such a primitive motif seems antithetical to Fendi’s cutting-edge principles, this was absolutely a high-tech mission in disguise. Any rough-around-the-edges effects — and there were plenty by way of shredded hems and raw edges — were intended as part of the illusion. Consider the artfully untamed furs. There was reversible shearling, 18-karat white gold mink and a gorgeous sable that seamlessly degraded into silver fox. It was a remarkable construction, fit for an urban warrior.