Fendi made their New York Fashion Week debut with a dazzling, star-studded show at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The event commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Baguette, the house’s It bag that gained to fame in the 2000s and lately enjoyed a rebirth in the 2020s. The much-anticipated presentation featured some of New York’s A-List celebs, including Kim Kardashian and Sarah Jessica Parker, who popularised the bag on “Sex and the City.
Kardashian appeared in a floor-length, transparent gown adorned with sequins. The gown has a high neckline, panels in varied hues running down the bodice and stretching toward the hem, and elongated sleeves that cover all but her manicure. Her platinum-blonde hair was tied back into a low bun, highlighting her soft-glam makeup. She accessorised a sequin Fendi baguette bag and sparkling sandals with a low, block heel.
Several fresh variants of the baguette bag were also shown on the runway. Kim Jones collaborated with Marc Jacobs and Tiffany & Co. to recreate the 1997 accessory, which was inspired by the way French women carry baguette bread under their arms. Jacobs’ interpretation on the bag was inspired by New York City, with gritty and shining design elements; one handbag was coated in shimmering crystals, while another referenced to logomania with new variations on the Fendi logo. He designed a total of ten outfits for the fashion brand, ranging from billowing train skirts to deconstructed denim jackets.
Tiffany & Co.’s design impact can be seen in a bag in the famous Tiffany blue colour, another with a diamond-encrusted T and F emblem, and still another made of sterling silver and etched with the national flowers of Italy and New York. Baguettes were also recreated in the most creative ways as ready-to-wear, appearing as cargo pockets on miniskirts and hand-warmer front pockets on fleece jackets. Guests were even issued actual invites that included a baguette-inspired pocketbook with the Fendi emblem.
Sarah Jessica Parker, in particular, wore a monogrammed baguette bag to the occasion. “It’s not a bag, it’s a Baguette,” she famously exclaimed as Carrie Bradshaw on “Sex and the City,” and that statement was imprinted inside her dazzling purple handbag. It’s part of a capsule collection she created with Silvia Venturini Fendi, and it comes in a variety of hues (including pink and baby blue) and has four interchangeable buckles.
