Kim Jones invited Marc Jacobs and Tiffany & Co. to help celebrate the iconic bag’s 25th anniversary.
A birthday party for a handbag? Why not? The Fendi show in New York on Thursday night marked the 25th anniversary of the house’s iconic Baguette, and the event turned into a fashion moment.
From the minute guests arrived at the Hammerstein Ballroom, excitement swelled. The crush at the door presaged the people-watching opportunity inside, as mere mortals in the audience stargazed at luminaries including Kim Kardashian, SJP (her Carrie Bradshaw an early devotee of the Baguette) and a bevy of original supermodels – Amber Valletta, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss and Shalom Harlow, who looked otherworldly in a skimpy black goddess dress, but acted more like the animated girl next door – totally approachable. They were all there to support another of their rarified ranks, Linda Evangelista, who made a surprise appearance on the runway.
A major boon for NYFW, and certainly the early Baguette deserves reconsideration. Back in the Nineties, it was the It Bag among It Bags, and its original impact may never be paralleled.
But it’s a product of an Italian luxury purveyor owned by a France-based global conglomerate, so why celebrate in NYC? The program notes addressed the question only vaguely, calling the show, “An interpretation and celebration of the Baguette in the city of New York.”
In truth, the evening wasn’t just about the bag. It was about a major show of hands-on support for the US market by LVMH, which owns Fendi. And it was about synergy on steroids, as Fendi Artistic Director Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi shared billing with the luxury group’s two dazzling American stars: Marc Jacobs and Tiffany. Jones and Jacobs have been friends since they worked together at Louis Vuitton; LVMH purchased Tiffany in 2020.
Quite a diverse lineup, to say the least. So, was the runway a confused hodgepodge or brilliant pastiche? Mostly the latter, the contributors’ far-flung aesthetics unified by that Baguette, which turned up in countless incarnations. With the traditional freestanding handbag only the beginning, Jones, and Jacobs, to a lesser extent, worked the bag into the structure of the clothes and other accessories – for example, in the back of a jacket or as cargo pockets on pants, and on gloves, socks, even hats.
That was the collection’s core innovation, as neither designer sought to break new sartorial ground, instead opting to advance familiar style concepts. Jones labeled his portion of the show “’97,” and wrote in his program notes that it was “a celebration of a time, of the moment when the Baguette became famous.” To wit, he worked a Nineties street attitude deftly – sturdy jackets atop filmy dresses and skirts, some flecked with beads; thick cozy sweaters, utilitarian-chic coats, the looks often finished with substantial extras such as beanies and thick socks.
Still, the work felt smart and new for Fendi. Jones handled the rugged-ethereal juxtaposition beautifully, creating a fresh sportswear context that felt young in mood while staying appropriately tony for this level of fashion. It was his best work for the house to date.
Jacobs, meanwhile, also started from existing material – his own, reinterpreting his recent logoed, haute-sportif volumes with bold Fendiroma signage. These started, but didn’t end, with a street sensibility. Jacobs has a deep-seeded romantic streak that ebbs and flows, but never disappears completely. It came through here in a major flourish pilfered not from the Nineties, but a more recent time – Fall 2012, one of Jacobs’ most exquisite, emotional collections. A redux of that season’s giant, feathered picture hats added lyrical depth to his dramatic, demonstrative silhouettes.
As for Tiffany, what’s the old saying – you’re judged by the company you keep? Fendi is one of global luxury’s most revered houses, and Jones, its lauded steward. Jacobs is a mega god of fashion, no matter the Bergdorf’s-only scale of his current runway business. Tiffany – not so much. The company had grown fusty-musty by the time LVMH acquired it in 2020 – and LVMH doesn’t do staid. Everyone knew a makeover was in the works, starting with the Beyoncé and JAY-Z ad campaign. Now, at the show, the jeweler’s famous blue hue turned up in some feisty Baguettes and the dramatic opera cloak Evangelista wore for her end-of-show appearance.
By giving Tiffany major runway time alongside Fendi and Jacobs, LVMH signaled that it considers the jeweler equal to its other storied houses. By doing so in New York, the group telegraphed as well its hands-on approach to owning in the U.S. This may have been a birthday fete for the Baguette, but it was a coming-out party for Tiffany.