Now, This Is How You Mark The 25th Anniversary Of The Fendi Baguette
Yes, few bags are as deserving of being hailed an icon as Fendi’s ’90s-born, SATC-endorsed pochette. And going by the star-studded runway show that the Italian luxury label staged in New York recently to commemorate its legacy, there’s nothing stale about it (okay, we couldn’t resist that). Here’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at some of the fun and intrepid interpretations created for that extravaganza that hit boutiques this month.
Don't call this a Baguette retrospective. Instead, Kim Jones – the artistic director of Fendi’s women’s collections – intended for it to be a throwback to the bag’s birth year: 1997. “I relate that time to a sense of freedom in excess and fun – both qualities the Baguette possesses,” he says in the show’s press notes.
The Baguette sizes in this anniversary collection range from tiny all the way to large.
The result is a collection that pulsates with youthful, glamorised streetwear energy – think beaded slips and skirts paired with mink parkas and beanies. The excess Jones speaks of meanwhile manifests itself best through the many unexpected and utterly delightful ways the Baguette turns up: Baguettes as pockets and jewellery charms; Baguettes on necklaces, gaiters, and gloves; Baguettes inside of other bags; the list goes on. In a New York Times interview, Jones said that some runway looks featured as many as 10 Baguettes.
The Baguette pops up in the most unexpected places for this anniversary collection – clock versions of the bags on the ankles, caps, gloves and even built into jackets.
It is no secret that Jones is well-known for roping in his pals to work on collaborations, and this outing featured no less than four. The most ambitious: the looks and accessories by Marc Jacobs (whom Jones dubs “the king of American fashion”) that closed the show and will retail as a capsule collection early next year.
The New Yorker’s designs can be easily ID-ed by his now-trademark use of furry hats; XXL (that’s “L” for both large and long) silhouettes; and, of course, grunge influences, seen in the likes of this Baguette in distressed denim.
The Marc Jacobs designs for the Baguette's 25th anniversary will be released in early 2023.
Further cementing the Baguette’s connection to New York City are special editions of the bag created in partnership with LVMH stablemate Tiffany & Co. as well as Sarah Jessica Parker herself. The Sex And The City actress – whose line on the show, “It’s not a bag, it’s a Baguette”, catapulted the pochette to It-dom – has worked with Silvia Venturini Fendi on a series of sequinned Baguettes with interchangeable buckles and her famous quote inscribed on the inside.
And to make the birthday celebrations of this fashion icon even more memorable, Fendi has also released 25 re-editions of the Baguette – starting from 1997. Ahead, a peep at 10 of these arm candies.
This article is adapted from a story that first appeared in the Nov 2022 Party Edition of FEMALE