Fendi Baguette just doesn’t seem to lose its appeal. Decades after its original release, the petite bag still does not fail to make the ladies (and perhaps even some men) swoon. After teasing it on the Spring runway last year, Fendi officially brings back the iconic handbag, and the Italian house employs the help of no other than celebrity fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker.
To mark the occasion, Fendi launched an official ad campaign dubbed #BaguetteFriendsForever, where four stylish ladies—Caroline Daur, Ebonee Davis, Natasha Lau and Melissa Martinez—gush about the must-have bag bathing in purple sequins. The foursome make little hesitation and head over to the boutique immediately, only to find that the very last one of the eyed Baguette has already been claimed. Daur runs after the customer and shouts after her that she needs that last Baguette. You probably know where this is headed—the lady, who is now revealed to be Parker, turns around to face the friends and corrects them, “Oh, this isn’t a bag. It’s a Baguette.”
Even after its run, The Sex and the City is still being credited for elevating the tastes of its viewers all around the globe, and its heroine, Carrie Bradshaw played by Parker, remembered as the crazed fashionista that everyone wants to dress like. Part of the show’s legacy is attributed to its stylist Patricia Field, who initially had very little designer brands to work with but later on had luxury labels volunteer their pieces for exposure on the show. Manolo Blahniks, which can be spotted on the Fendi campaign, is also one of the best associated with Carrie Bradshaw besides the Baguette.
The Fendi Baguette, when it was first launched in 1997, became a breath of fresh air among collectors. It stood out because it defied any trends and dared to be different; the Baguette was embellished rather than minimalist which caught many women’s eyes. Besides the different designs available, it was intended to be comfortably squeezed right under one’s arm. It was not officially called the Baguette the first time, but after a journalist compared it to the way the French carry their bread, the name stuck and it has been called as such ever since.
The Baguettes in 2019 retain all the characteristics that make it special, but Creative Director of Accessories and Menswear Silvia Venturini Fendi made it a point to give buyers more options that go beyond aesthetics. The It bag will be available in more sizes, can be worn in more ways than one, and even come with the ever convenient shoulder straps that are detachable. “We like change, but there’s also a bit of nostalgia,” Venturini Fendi said, as quoted by Papermag, “It’s nice to see things come back, but in a different way.” Fendi also hosted a dinner party at its Madison Avenue boutique for the relaunch, asking attendees to bring their best friend along with their favorite Baguette. Celebrity fans, among them Emma Roberts and Amanda Seyfried, admired the new iterations of the bag and recounted their very own stories of falling in love with the It bag.
Image credits: Fendi, Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Fendi, HBO, BFA.com
