The Italian fashion house Fendi is reorchestrating its Baguette masterpiece for its Spring/Summer 2013 collection. Created in 1997, the Baguette bag carries within it the very etiquette of Fendi itself; it was unconventional in an era when all bags had to be functional. Next to Gucci’s Jackie or Hermès’ Birkin, what sticks out most is its soft, unstructured format, minimalist silhouette, and unusual handle, so small that it encapsulates the entire bag. Born from the facetious mind of Silvia Fendi, it was naturally dubbed the Baguette because of the fact that it is held exactly like the bread of Parisian fame. From the day it arrived in stores, it became an instant must-have. Different versions started popping up, each of them more outlandishly imaginative than the last.
The Baguette was the definitive beginning of the era of it-bags, and now in 2013, it’s getting a facelift while still sticking with most of its telltale characteristics. In its latest campaign by Karl Lagerfeld, it is shown being worn by Kati Nescher and Saskia de Brauw in Saint Tropez. Set on a cleaved black background, the ad becomes a triptych. In the middle is everything that the shadows are hiding: a flat and sun-soaked ocean. On each of the two sides, the bright colors on the clothing announce the arrival of spring with all its tender shades, when women slip into deceptively alluring get-ups. Fendi’s trademarks are all present and accounted for: graphic-print dresses with colorful logos, reflective of a classicism all’italianowhere superposition is the keyword.
With the Baguette in tow, this collection is a wise mix-and-match that underpins a sort of prudent disobedience: turbulent, reasonable, never sounding a false note, this clothing is another star performance by Fendi.
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