I
n the opening page of the book
Fendi
Baguette
,
Silvia Venturini Fendi, third
generation of the Fendi design dynasty
recalls, “I was asked, among other
things, to come up with a particularly easy
and functional handbag. In a certain sense,
it had to be technological and minimal,just
like the times. My response (fortunately
I am indomitably disobedient) was the
Baguette: the exact opposite of what had
been requested of me.”
In 1997, the Baguette, a deceptively
small and simple handbag that fits snugly
under the arm like the French loaf from
which it takes its name, turned out
to be an unprecedented success and
an enduring style symbol that women
the world over coveted and collected
with a passion. It gave the label Fendi a
solid, safe-conduct into the future and
a vital passage into the LVMH (Louis
Vuitton Moet Hennessy) collective.With
contributions from Banana Yoshimoto,
Paola Antonelli, Pearl Lam, Quirino Conti,
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sophie Fontanel,
Dana Thomas and Achille Bonito Oliva,
Fendi Baguette
edited by Silvia Venturini
Fendi celebrates the craftsmanship,
artisanship, connoisseurship and design of
the astonishing range of Baguettes.
Silvia Venturini Fendi, once the bad girl
of the Fendi clan, left boarding school at
the age of 17. Through her genius and
rebellious forward-thinking the Baguette
bag, the hottest accessory of the moment,
was created. She said, “We’ve tried to
figure out why people liked the bag so
much, and we still don’t know.” President
of the company’s board, Carla Fendi and
her sisters including Silvia’s mother,Anna,
are proud of her achievements: “We
always believed Silvia had a great intuitive
talent and the Baguette’s success confirms
we weren’t mistaken.” The chapter titled
‘
Fendi For Themselves’ written by Dana
Thomas recounts Silvia’s rebellious
streak, her success managing Fendissime,
a collection for the younger client, and
her promotion to Fendi accessories at
the suggestion of Karl Lagerfield, Fendi’s
ready-to-wear designer since 1965. It
was at this moment that Silvia started to
tinker with the logo. “When I was a little
girl, I was impressed by the famous canvas
material with the double F’s and thought
it was very strong.” Today, the logo is a
reworked double-F buckle.
The Fendi Baguette brand has
produced over 700 models, ranging from
the simple and understated to the unique
and deluxe, embellished with embroidery,
sequins, beading, leather, fur, and crocodile
skin. Some are wild limited-edition works
by artists such as Damien Hirst, Richard
Prince and Jeff Koons, while others are
embellished with precious stones. Design
curator at the Museum of Modern Art,
Paola Antonelli was quoted in the book:
“
The Baguette was conceived from the
beginning as an archetype, its simple and
distinctive shape a canvas for hundreds
of possible variations in materials and
visual interpretations…” Explaining the
relationship between technology and
traditional craftsmanship, she further
explained, “The Baguette has proved
addictive, not only for fashion and luxury
victims, but also for its designer. This book
collects many of a thousand that have
been produced, sometimes at the rate of
fifty models a year. In this meta era, the
Baguette has become the embodiment
of fashion, which Virginia Postrel calls ‘the
process by which form seems exhausted
and then refreshed, without regard to
functional improvements.’”
Pearl Lam, curator, dealer and private
collector of contemporary Chinese art
recalls her amazement at seeing a crowd
of women dressed elegantly in fashionable
ensembles, smoking and chatting at the
front door of the Fendi shop around Via
Borgognona in 1999. “A friend told me
about the popularity of the Baguette bag
–
it was the Baguette that had drawn the
fashion crowds to Fendi’s doorstep and
they were patiently waiting for the arrival
of the newly designed bags - as if they
were baguettes fresh from the oven.” She
goes on to describe her own fetish for
the brand, “I was first totally seduced by
the Baguette’s opulence and glamour, then
its contradiction to mainstream fashion. I
found myself being lured by an aquamarine
sequined bag, the sequins sewn as though
on an evening dress. I loved its frivolity,
and it was the first Baguette I owned.This
was also my defining moment with Fendi.”
Sex and The City
actress Sarah Jessica
Parker will always appreciate Fendi for
their assistance in developing the fashion
stories around her character, Carrie
Bradshaw, at the beginning of the series.
“
Fendi was really the first important
design house to loan us items, with the
Baguette handbag being the first… The
Baguette became a staple of Carrie’s
wardrobe and character.” Becoming
a Baguette fan herself, Sarah added: “I
have very sentimental feelings toward
the Baguette. My very first Baguette was
olive-green satin, with beautiful floral
beading, a red snakeskin strap, and a
colourful interior lining. I use it for
everything. In my opinion, it was the new
black – and it was surprisingly large.”
With 250 colourful photos showing
the artistic variation of the Baguette
bags including Fendi’s collaboration with
Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio (the
Lisio Silk Artisan Foundation) and unique
artwork from the likes of artists Donna
Ong, Kim Sung Jin, Karen Kimmel, Damien
Hirst, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Delia
Brown,
Fendi Baguette
is the ideal book
to celebrate to date the Baguette’s 15
years of success and get us thinking about
investing in that first Baguette bag.
Fendi Baguette
is published by Rizzoli
NewYork.
www.rizzoliusa.com
Images courtesy of Rizzoli NewYork
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