Happy Birthday Fendi Baguette!

Back in 1997, Silvia Venturini Fendi was given the task to come up with a functional bag for her family’s iconic label. What she came up with wasn’t exactly functional, but it was definitely fabulous. This not-so-practical handbag quickly became a favorite of practically every red-blooded fashionista in the land. Hordes lined up to put their names on big waiting lists to pay an equally big price to own at least one of these petite purses. Fashionistas of all walks of life, including Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sex and The City character Carrie Bradshaw, and celebrities like Madonna and Julia Roberts, made it a mission to add this bag to their wardrobe.

To say the Fendi Baguette was an instant fashion hit is definitely an understatement. What makes this instantly recognized handbag so interesting is that the simple design was translated into what seems like an endless number of different styles. I believe that there truly is a Fendi bag to fit every woman’s taste. You can choose from styles that range from the simple brown and tan fabric embossed with the Fendi logo to bags with completely over-the-top embellishments like fur, sequins, beads, and feathers…often all on one bag. What made this bag so unique-looking was the fact it was “designed to be carried under the arm like a French bread loaf,” according to Vogue.  

 To celebrate this iconic bag’s birthday, you can do one of several things:

1. You can make a purchase, be it your first, second, or one of many. Mrs. Fendi has chosen her six favorite styles, which will be reissued to celebrate the bag’s success.

2. You can vicariously “buy” several the bags by adding the coffee table book published by Rizzoli – it’s called Fendi Baguette – to your personal library.

3. You can purchase your very own DIY Fendi bag kit for a mere $995.

I confess I did covet one of these bags. A few years back, a co-worker had a Real McCoy she purchased in Italy that was absolutely stunning. I will also confess that I purchased a few fun “versions” to ease my troubled mind, but the saving grace that kept me from the poorhouse was that I just could not function with the limited carrying space. I would not mind somehow getting my hands on a Fendi one day, but for now I will just admire them from a distance and wish this little but absolutely fabulous handbag a very happy birthday.