La Dolce Vitae

The enviable career of Silvia Venturini Fendi all started with a call to individualism – a philosophy the Roman designer and  her covetable bags still champion today

- Genevra Leek

Give me your bag!” “What?” “Your bag.” “It’s a Baguette.” The day Carrie Bradshaw got mugged in a New York alley on Sex And The City was defining for two reasons. One: from that day forth it was officially acceptable to take your OTT purple sequinned bag out for a quick spot of casual shopping. Two: the original It-bag had cemented its place in popular culture as a fashion icon. It was the turn of the new millennium and the introduction of the highly coveted accessory conceived by Silvia Venturini Fendi (above right) was changing the way we viewed luxury bags and would continue to do so over the next two decades.

“When I started designing the bags, I wanted to make my own little revolution,” says Venturini Fendi, on her first trip to Australia for the official launch of the new Sydney Fendi boutique. “It was the moment of minimalism, so I was like, ‘I have to do something totally different and change the fact that everybody is dressed the same.’ The Baguette was the response to that. It came out at the right moment because there was a need for change.” The long, thin, soft bag designed to be tucked under the arm was both functional and fabulous, celebrating the individual via countless embellishments and inspiring feverish waiting lists.