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How Fendi’s ‘It’ bag, the Baguette, made a comeback

In the 1990s, Sex and the City ruled cable TV and Carrie Bradshaw had every woman obsessed with slipping into a pair of toe-crushing Manolo Blahnik stilettos.
Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, portrayed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker, carried her Fendi Baguette around New York City in the series. Photo: @nordicpoetry/Instagram

First launched in 1997, the bag represents the history and soul of the brand in every way as Silvia Venturini Fendi, the granddaughter of founders Eduardo and Adele, designed it. The bag was created during Karl Lagerfeld’s long reign over Fendi as artistic director.

Paris Hilton rocking her double F monogrammed Fendi Baguette. Photo: @moderngurlz/Instagram

“I feel that this bag is really a New York bag, because it’s both an evening bag but also a day bag, and in New York you see how night and day often blur. For me, the bag embodies the spirit of New York,” said Silvia Venturini Fendi in a previous interview with SCMP.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Baguette, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Kim Jones moved from Milan to New York Fashion Week to present Fendi’s resort 2023 collection. Photo: Instagram

The inspiration for the bag is unsurprising, given its name. Silvia Venturini Fendi saw something beautiful in the way Parisian women would carry loaves of baguettes under their arms as they strolled through the city. While the house is known for its furs and leathers, the bag took on many different personalities, with the house’s double F monogram being one of the earliest iterations.

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Actress Priyanka Chopra carrying her silver Fendi Baguette. Photo: @moderngurlz/Instagram

The bag’s been given different fresh touches over the seasons, including one of the most iconic, Carrie Bradshaw’s blue sequinned rendition.

Still, the popularity of the Baguette has experienced spikes and dips over the years. In the 2000s, it gave way to Fendi’s other purses, such as the Peekaboo. But the bag came back in a big way in 2019 when the house launched reissue versions, much like Prada did with its nylon bag collection.
Emily in Paris star Lily Collins carries her Fendi Baguette in style. Photo: @moderngurlz/Instagram

The rise of the Y2K trend puts the Baguette under the spotlight once again as a new generation of fashion lovers embraces the practicality and aesthetic of underarm shoulder bags. Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Lily Collins, Zendaya and, of course, Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker all got their hands on one of these bread-inspired bags.

Fendi collaborated with Versace and produced the Fendace capsule collection, which also includes a Baguette. Photo: @fendi/Instagram
Fendi also saw the opportunity to bring fresh takes to this classic by adding chains, longer straps and even a version of the bag in the Fendace capsule collection launched in collaboration with another Italian fashion powerhouse, Versace.
Kim Kardashian and Sarah Jessica Parker at the Fendi Baguette’s 25th anniversary party. Photo: @nordicpoetry/Instagram

The design proves to be incredibly versatile. Accented with crystals, the mini versions make the perfect evening bag, à la Kim K at the Baguette’s 25th anniversary party.

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Parker, meanwhile, took a page from Bradshaw’s fashion playbook and paired a purple sequinned bag with bold splashes of turquoise. It was also one of the Baguette’s newer iterations with a thick crossbody strap.

Gigi Hadid’s Fendi Baguette adds splashes of colour to her outfit. Photo: @bellagigiupdates/Instagram
And in a true high-low moment, Gigi Hadid paired a colourful monogrammed Baguette with a long leather coat and this year’s hottest shoe, the Adidas Samba.

But the brand didn’t stop there: Fendi also incorporated details from the Baguette into its ready-to-wear collection, such as the emblematic double F buckle and the rectangular form of the bag.

Micro Fendi Baguette pochettes are stitched onto biker boots for the Italian maison’s ready-to-wear collection. Photo: @celinemagazinecom/Instagram

From adding micro Fendi Baguette pochettes to biker boots to incorporating utilitarian elements by way of little Baguette pockets and belt bags onto safari jackets, boiler suits and skirts, Fendi’s most iconic “It” bag has become an inseparable part of the brand’s identity.

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