The Baguette is a small, compact handbag designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi for Fendi in 1997. It was conceived as a streamlined, short-strap bag adaptable across looks, colors, and textures while retaining a consistent aesthetic — contrasting with large totes then popular. Fendi lent Baguettes as props to Sex and the City, becoming the first luxury house to lend a piece to costume designer Patricia Field; Carrie Bradshaw’s on-screen identification of it as a 'Baguette' during a mugging scene and Sarah Jessica Parker’s attribution of the show’s and character’s establishment to it underscore its cultural impact, which culminated in LVMH’s 1999 acquisition of Fendi. In 2012, Fendi celebrated the bag’s 15th anniversary with an exhibition at Colette in Paris.
It was not a collaboration or a trend—it was a single designer’s answer to 1990s tote fatigue.
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One Shape, Infinite Surfaces
Its consistency of shape made it a canvas—not a compromise—for texture, colour, and craft.
3:19
First Luxury Loan to TV
Fendi lent it before it sold it—betting on storytelling, not stockists.
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Named in a Narrow Street
A mugging line became a branding pivot—and a performer’s career hinge.
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Acquisition Fuel
Its cultural velocity moved faster than its production line—LVMH acquired Fendi two years after launch.
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Uncompromising Proportion
It succeeded because it refused to adapt—to function, to scale, to season.
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Worth your time?
Yes. Wear the whole thing.
3.5/ 5
What works
commits to one scale, one proportion, one strap length
refuses versatility in form so it can be endlessly versatile in material and colour
What does not
hold a phone and wallet together comfortably
cross the body
open flat
stand upright when set down
Wear it if
someone who values narrative weight over carrying capacity
Skip it if
anyone who needs to carry more than three items without rearranging
Who should wear it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read
What the garment is and where it came from
A small, compact handbag. Designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi for Fendi in 1997.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
It sits high on the hip. The short strap forces an upright posture. It holds little: keys, lipstick, a folded note. It is carried under the arm or gripped at the top.
What it gets right
It commits to one scale, one proportion, one strap length. It refuses versatility in form so it can be endlessly versatile in material and colour.
What it does not
It does not hold a phone and wallet together comfortably. It does not cross the body. It does not open flat. It does not stand upright when set down.
What it changed
It proved a luxury accessory could anchor a character’s identity on screen—and that such exposure could trigger a corporate acquisition.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for someone who values narrative weight over carrying capacity. It is not for anyone who needs to carry more than three items without rearranging.
Is it worth your time
Yes—if you need a bag that declares allegiance to a specific moment in fashion’s relationship with television, not to utility.
