Trend Watch: The Fendi Baguette
How nostalgia drives spikes in resale value
Happy 25th birthday to the Fendi Baguette – the handbag that (arguably) launched the “it” bag mania of the Y2K era. I was too young to be a customer when the Baguette hit stores in 1997, but thanks to my mom, I was keenly aware of the excitement around the design.
The Baguette was born in Rome, but it was the New York City fashion machine – specifically prominent placement on the breakout hit Sex and the City – that made it famous. Asked about the Baguette, Silvia Venturini Fendi told Vogue, “It was foolish, a treat, anti-functional. It was the first bag that was treated like a garment.” (In other words, it laid the groundwork for $3,000+ handbags that don’t fit your phone.)
The impracticality made it decadent. The decadence made it desirable. It is rumored that Fendi sold over 100,000 Baguette handbags within the first year of production.
When Fendi tapped Marc Jacobs to design the fashion house’s 2023 Resort collection, the designer seemed intent on capturing this turn-of-the-century indulgence with a singular theme: Every item sent down the runway was an opportunity for a baguette.
Models carried, and wore, multiple Baguettes in the form of bags, minis, charms, as well as “built-in” Baguettes on accessories and garments. I can only imagine the team reviewing every look and thinking, “Okay, but where else can we add a Baguette?” They put a Baguette on a baseball hat. A Baguette on an opera glove. A Baguette… on a Baguette.
Like an episode of Sex and the City, the collection was pure entertainment. It was fun and over the top. It was a testament to Jacobs’ mastery of maximalism and pop culture.
Even before Jacobs sent a multitude of Baguettes down the runway, the return of the Baguette was going strong. #Fendibaguette had amassed over 18 million views on TikTok. The Baguette had received prime placement in And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot which premiered in December 2021. And prices on the medium Baguette had risen at a Chanel-like rate of 29.7% in three years.
In 2019, a medium Baguette sold for $2,690. By 2021 that price had jumped to $3,490. Now pre-loved Baguettes are selling on the secondary market for 95-135% of their current retail value. This means two things: First, if you purchased a Fendi Baguette for $2,690 a few years ago, you could likely sell it today for around $4,000. Second, luxury handbags can be valuable alternative asset investments.
A few weeks later, aside from some styled pockets on clothing, Fendi’s Spring 2023 collection did not have one Baguette. I assume after an all-Baguette collection at the start of the month, they wanted to feature other bag styles on the runway (many of whose prices have also risen by double digits over the last few seasons).
The bags that walked the runway included the Peekaboo, Fendi First, O’Lock swing, Fendigraphy, and a minimalist version of the Sunshine tote. All beautiful, however in my opinion, none have the same timeless appeal and functionality of the baguette.
The irony is that back in 1997, the Baguette was considered an “anti-functional” design. Two and a half decades later, however, it easily fits all of my necessities for a night out. I wonder if, in another 25 years, all of our necessities for a night out will fit in the Nano Fendigraphy – which could currently be confused with a statement cuff – and if so, just how much that bag will cost.