THE BAGUETTE
Although Fendi’s Baguette has secured its status as
an iconic style, the design is scarcely more than
20 years old. The Baguette—so named because it
its under the wearer’s arm like a loaf of bread—
was introduced by Silvia Venturini Fendi,
granddaughter of one of the label’s founders, in 1997.
“At the suggestion of the label’s ready-to-wear
designer, Karl Lagerfeld, Silvia Fendi had begun
designing accessories for her family’s label ive years
earlier. It was Fendi who thought to turn the brand’s
interlocking F logo into a buckle, which has been
integral to the brand’s bags ever since.”
When someone suggested to Fendi that she make
a simple bag for everyday-wear, she stubbornly
determined that she would do the opposite.
The Baguette’s impractically small size and high
price tag could have easily marked it for failure, but
Fendi’s vision was to create beautiful, limited-edition
bags that were akin to works of art. The styles were
made with unique and opulent fabrics or elaborate
embellishments that have turned them into collectors’
items. Rather than being perceived as frivolous,
the Baguettes are lauded for their meticulous detail
and their embrace of hand-crafted materials. ■
SEE WHERE TO BUY FOR DETAILSFENDI