1990s Vintage FENDI Leather Whipstitch Mirror Baguette Handbag Camel
View Similar Items
1990s Vintage FENDI Leather Whipstitch Mirror Baguette Handbag Camel
About the Item
Fendi
Like other major European luxury fashion houses, Fendi started small. Adele Casagrande was an Italian creative who loved fashion and sold leather and fur accessories from a tiny workshop she opened in Rome in 1918. However, after marrying Edoardo Fendi in 1925, her business model was altered dramatically. Together, the couple changed the boutique’s name to Fendi and moved into a bigger storefront, which quickly became the favorite shop of women all over Italy’s capital city for furs and leathers, such as handbags, coats and accessories.
As time moved on for Adele and Edoardo, the couple began to distribute more responsibility to their five daughters, who assumed management of the company during the 1950s. Fendi’s audience broadened and its profitability has soared over the years, owing to the brand’s fresh perspective on fashion world happenings and innovative sensibility. The maison also has a distinctive relationship with old-world Italian craftsmanship. The Selleria bags were the work of master saddlers in Rome, and Fendi partnered with lace artisans in southern Italy as well as craftsmen in the east trained in the intrecciato (intertwined) technique (an idea that Adele introduced during the 1940s), which, in Fendi’s case, sees an interwoven leather fabric integrated in the creation of its handbags, countering leather’s traditional rigidity with a bag that is soft, versatile and fitted with an alluring slouchy curve.
It wasn’t until 1965, however, when a young German designer named Karl Lagerfeld took the creative helm that Fendi became a world-renowned fashion house. In fact, Lagerfeld, who produced four to five collections yearly for the brand, is credited with creating Fendi’s instantly recognizable double-F logo (which stands for “Fun Furs”) in “less than five seconds.” Until Lagerfeld started designing for the brand, fur was a material mostly associated with heavy coats that few people actually wore. Lagerfeld reimagined fur in creative ways, using it as an accent on purses, cuffs on dress sleeves and collars on wool coats.
Over the ensuing years, Fendi has broken into the home-goods market with Fendi Casa and has become synonymous with luxury fashion, producing such pieces as the iconic Baguette, which was rendered ever popular on the television series Sex and the City. In fact, an entire episode during the third season was dedicated to the “original It bag,” a slim accessory tapered in a manner that recalls its namesake, designed in 1997 by Adele and Edoardo’s granddaughter Silvia Venturini Fendi, who was named creative director of accessories three years earlier.
Perhaps just as well known as its vintage Baguette handbags and creative use of fur is the brand’s devotion to its Italian roots. In 2013, Fendi donated more than 2 million euros to restore Rome’s Trevi Fountain, and when it was reopened to visitors, Fendi hosted its Autumn/Winter 2017 show on top of the landmark.
Fendi was a family-controlled brand until 1999 and is now owned by LVMH. In late 2020, British fashion designer Kim Jones was named the house’s artistic director for womens wear.
Find a wide variety of vintage Fendi handbags and purses, clothing and other accessories on 1stDibs.
- 1990s Vintage GUCCI Bamboo Chain Shoulder Bag Calfskin Leather BrownBy GucciLocated in Bangkok, THThis vintage GUCCI bamboo chain shoulder bag is crafted of smooth calfskin leather in brown featuring a sturdy gold toned chain with bamboo internod...Category
1990s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
$996 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage GUCCI Leather Shoulder Crossbody Bag Turnlock Calfskin Dark NavyBy GucciLocated in Bangkok, THThis vintage GUCCI shoulder crossbody bag is crafted of smooth calfskin leather in dark navy featuring gold toned hardware. Front flap GG turnlock closure opens to a navy leather int...Category
1980s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
$956 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage CELINE Macadam Canvas Box Shoulder Ring BagBy CelineLocated in Bangkok, THThis vintage CELINE box shoulder bag is crafted of Celine’s signature Macadam Canvas in beige featuring a sturdy cowhide leather should...Category
1990s Italian Shoulder Bags
$636 Sale Price46% Off - 1970s Vintage GUCCI Calfskin Leather Two-Way Clutch Shoulder Bag Turnlock BrownBy GucciLocated in Bangkok, THThis vintage GUCCI two-way clutch shoulder bag is crafted of smooth calfskin leather in dark brown featuring gold toned hardware. Front flap huge GG turnlock closure opens to a brown...Category
1970s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
$716 Sale Price20% Off - 1980s Vintage GUCCI Leather Saddle Shoulder Bag Equestrian Camel UnisexBy GucciLocated in Bangkok, THThis 1980s vintage GUCCI saddle bag is crafted of smooth calfskin and pigskin leather in camel featuring gold toned hardware. Front magnetic snap clos...Category
1980s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
$1,756 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage CHRISTIAN DIOR Black Leather Chain Shoulder BagBy Christian DiorLocated in Bangkok, THThis vintage CHRISTIAN DIOR shoulder bag is crafted of grain-textured leather in black. This vintage Dior features a gold toned chain that ...Category
1970s French Shoulder Bags
$1,116 Sale Price20% Off
- Louis Vuitton Vanilla Epi Nocturne GM Bag, Compact Wallet and Make Up Bag SetBy Louis VuittonLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in handbag making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Louis Vuitton always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful bag takes timeless creation...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
$2,280 Sale Price20% Off - Gucci Guccissima Gray Leather Indy Top Handle Crossbody Strap BagBy GucciLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in handbag making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Gucci always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. The edgy bag takes timeless creation to a new level of sophistication and charm. Made from the finest materials that you would expect from the Gucci House. A classic Guccissima bag...Category
2010s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Judith Leiber Vintage Silk Crystals Flap 2-Way Clutch Shoulder Tassel BagBy Judith LeiberLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in handbag making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Judith Leiber always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful bag takes timeless creation...Category
1990s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama Capucine MM BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in London, GBIntroducing the mesmerising fusion of luxury and avant-garde artistry - the Louis Vuitton Capucine MM bag, a stunning collaboration with...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoulder Bags
- Hermès Special Order Kelly Sellier 35cm Noir Veau Epsom GHWBy HermèsLocated in London, GBA gorgeous Hermès Kelly 35cm bag. The exterior of this Special Order Kelly features a sellier style in noir black veau epsom leather. The noir leather is complemented with gold hardw...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoulder Bags
- Goyard Black Bellechasse Biaude PM BagBy GoyardLocated in London, GBA lovely Bellechasse Biaude PM handbag by Goyard from the Bellechasse Biaude collection. The exterior is crafted in black Decize Taurillon leather & Cervon calfskin leather with pall...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Fendi Baguette Is an ‘It’ Bag Again, 25 Years After Its Introduction
Iconic Italian fashion houses Fendi and Versace teamed up on this delightfully outrageous Fendace reimagining.
14 Iconic Luxury Handbags and the Stories behind Them
When the name of a bag is as well-known as its brand, you know it's a classic.