Handbags Fashion

FENDI debuts with natural and simple elegance in the poetic universe of children, in whispered tones and

with a very special inspiration. It’s a return to Made in Italy, to research, to top quality, together with a special partner: Simonetta.

Thus all the best in the Maison’s DNA assumes new meaning.

The collections presented at Pitti Immagine Bimbo 71, designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, bring new, strong strength of purpose expressed through a delicate style.

This is a savoir-faire that’s never last-minute, that comes from generations of real know-how and true

passion. It’s a perfect layering of shared values: first, a profound sense of craftsmanship and great

respect for the Italian sartorial tradition.

Today FENDI, with Simonetta, looks even further ahead, with the curious eyes of a child.

If the brands that I normally make fun of continue to turn out impressive bag collections, what am I going to crack jokes about? With the second lovely presentation by Fendi in as many seasons, it looks like before I know it, the only time I’m going to get to be nasty and snarky is when Versace puts forth a new abomination against handbag design. That’s bad for me as a writer (bad reviews write themselves), but it’s a net gain for handbag lovers everywhere.

Although we saw a logo bag or two in the Fendi Fall/Winter 2010 collection, the vast majority of the collection was comprised of clean, classic shapes, rendered in a subdued, retro palette of browns and orangey-yellows. The styling reminded me of Hitchcock classic Marnie, all mid-60s subdued tailoring and midcentury color combinations. The results were subdued and pretty, with impressive details that weren’t to be missed. My favorite among them was that the brand had embossed the models’ initials on the hang tags of several of the brown leather bags – I wonder if that’s a service that Fendi will provide to customers when these fashion bags are sold at retail.

Megs wrote about this bag a bit ago, but I couldn’t help but cover it as well. So, earlier today I wrote about the Yves Saint Laurent Yes Large Leather Tote. While writing about this tote, I expressed my concern for its price. Well, the same concern has popped up with this Fendi bag.

Ok, first and foremost, I like seeing a Fendi bag that hasn’t been covered with its logo. I’m over logos. So realizing the bag up for discussion is a Fenid AND you can’t really tell unless you look around the handles makes the bag discussion worthy – at least in my book. This is hands down a really cute shopper but my jaw dropped when I saw the price tag attached. How much would you think this bag was going to cost you?

I really didn’t think the Fendi Twins Woven Raffia Shopper would be more than $1000. Low and behold, it was more than double my guesstimation. This really broke my heart because, frankly, I really wanted it for the upcoming Spring and Summer months.

This sand glazed woven raffia shopper has two black leather top handles and light gold-tone hardware. As previously mentioned, there are designer-embossed details at the handles and whether you would use it or not, a detachable and adjustable shoulder strap. As you’ve heard me say before, I am so glad a large shopper like this has some sort of fastening at the top, in this case, magnetic. How cute would you look carrying this bag to a farmer’s market, to the park, to the library, shopping and maybe even to the pool? The answer: super cute. I just can’t believe how much you’d need to throw down for it.

marnipochette

Add a splash of color to your winter wardrobe with this adorable clutch purse from Marni.

The evenly ruched top creates subtle pleats throughout the pochette, giving this fashion purse a more casual feel than many clutches. Of course, it still wouldn’t look out of place with your favorite little black dress, but you could easily pair it with jeans as well.

At least, you could if you know how to travel light. While the style suits everyday use, there’s not as much space as most day bags allow. A wallet might squeeze in at a pinch, but then you’ll struggle to stash away your cell phone and keys. There’s also no shoulder strap, so I imagine carrying it for too long will become tiresome.

It’s probably a good thing that this won’t work as an everyday clutch for most of us. Suede is notorious for showing age early, so you’ll want to handle this purse for care. That’s especially true considering the asking price; at $525 this simple Marni pochette is far from affordable.

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Though Anja Rubik might be the only model in this latest spring/summer 2010 advertising campaign for Fendi, she’s not the only star of the show. In fact, despite the fact that this particular shot shows Rubik from the knees up, practically half of her is covered by the Fendi Peek-A-Boo satchel.

Perhaps that’s a bit of an overstatement, but the signature Fendi handbag seen in the ad is rather large, especially when compared to the wispy model. The bright white Peek-A-Boo also stands out quite well even though it’s against a white ethereal background and in front of a model wearing all white.

Instead of the disappearing bag act we saw in the Max Mara white on white ad, this one does a nice job at highlighting the focal point. Anja Rubik looks lovely as well in this fairytale forest-like campaign shot by none other than Karl Lagerfeld.

Although I’m not a huge fan of the Fendi Peek-A-Boo, which always seems to be to be more of an open invitation to “peek inside my handbag to see what I have,” I have to admit that Lagerfeld did a nice job showcasing both model and designer goods for the campaign.

Rioni Roushe The Flutter Bag | Delicate Snow Inspired Shoulder Bag

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With snow affecting people around the world, this delicate flutter bag seemed the very best thing to compliment it.

People may well be fed up with the constant layers of thick white, but that doesn’t have to extend to fashion. A thick wool coat and delicate white bag are what working winter fashion is really all about. This Rioni Rouche shoulder bag is my favorite - not only is it a pure, crystalline white, but the flutter ruffles remind me of lightly falling snow!

Of course, white isn’t practical. Like snow, a few weeks or days hard wear and it may be reduced to a strange grey colour. If you look after it and waterproof it you can avoid this, but that is often too much hassle for people. You must remember, however, that a fresh blank canvas like this is the perfect place to let your creativity run wild – why not take the opportunity and jazz it up with some brooches, clasps and colors?

The tan interior isn’t exactly the colour I would have chosen for a rich winter bag, especially one that has such delicate cut out layers on the outside. I must admit that it is more practical than keeping it monochrome throughout, though! Plus, the felt is soft and great for a slouchy bag.

Perfect for wading through snow drifts and combining with thick scarves, this slightly impractical purse is gorgeous but expensive at $360.

A Fendi Spy bag is the It bag to end all It bags. While this comes with incredible cache, it also comes with a lot of lemmings and the pitfall of seeing every other girl with your purse.

So it behooves a shopper to look for a lesser-worn design of a high-visibility It bag. Like this Fendi Violet Sequined Spy Bag.

The signature spy bag design looks quite different when done all in sequins. And I love the pink and purple sequins they chose for the job, accented with black detail to highlight the traditional Spy shape. Pale goldtone hardware supplies the finishing touches.

True to the design there is a short flap over top with a logo-plate detailed satin loop. Satin piping extends down the sides and bottom as well.

The major challenge of this bag is where to wear it. It’s quite large for an evening bag but too dressy for day. If you don’t find yourself with a lot of red carpet situations, I think the best bet is artsy functions and fancy dinners.

Fendi Leather Spy Bag | Authentic Popular Large Detective Style Bag

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The Fendi Spy Bag is an instantly recognizable classic handbag that comes in a variety of forms. Its unique and original large hobo-style is often replicated in the many designer inspired Spy Bags.

Many different colors and materials have been used by Fendi to re-invent and expand on the Spy Bag style. This includes the Sequin Spy Bag and the Alligator Spy Bag. There are also lots of different colors to choose from such as plum, red, black and honey.

The Fendi Spy Bag is surprisingly spacious which makes it a practical fashion statement. One unique feature of the fashion bag is that the handles have a lovely knot detailing as does the wristlet.

The Fendi Spy Bag is hugely popular and many stars such as Keira Knightly are proud owners, but Fendi bags don’t come cheap sometimes exceeding a $2000 price tag.

New Fendi Peek-A-Boo Satchel | Linen & Suede, Patent Leather or WaterSnake Skin

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I am really disappointed that the bagsbrand store is closing its’ retail operations later this year in June. I’ve been a customer for four years and have always been respectful of their keen fashion savvy-ness.

Not only have they featured up-n-coming or avant-garde designers, but they’ve paired these seemingly risky decisions with some of the most posh designer selections available anywhere.

Case in point: Just as the e-tailer is introducing Elizabeth and James (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsens designer label), they’ve managed to gather some desirable Fendi handbags.

Be sure to check out the hottest bag to hit the net. The Fendi Peek-A-Boo Satchel, available for pre-order in various colors and finishes, is the must-have fashion bag of the year.

This well-appointed and extremely versatile bag features an elegant top handle as well as a detachable shoulder/cross-body strap (which I’d probably never use). The ‘Peek-A-Boo’ is quite roomy and measures a sizable 16 x 12 x 6.5.

You can choose from a variety of looks as I mentioned earlier. Prices range from $1930 for a linen/suede rendition of this popular runway bag to $5740 for a gorgeous watersnake version that is way out of my budget for the foreseeable future.

My personal picks are the black patent leather ($2590) and red leather versions ($2350).

Fendi Rose Zucca Chef Bag

Is it just me, or does the Fendi Rose Zucca Chef Bag look like it really wishes it was born a Louis Vuitton instead?

Fendi-Rose-Zucca-Chef-Bag

When you’re dealing with a design element as obvious as graphic roses layered over logo canvas, it’s hard not to draw parallels between this and the Stephen Sprouse collection that garnered so much attention last season for Vuitton. I wonder if Fendi’s accessories designers would even be able to keep a straight face while they were claiming that this isn’t a ripoff.

And it’s not even a halfway attractive ripoff. The Vuitton bags were successful because not only did they feature the art of a widely respected pop artist, but they were also visually quite interesting. The roses were robust and colorful, and they overshadowed the traditional monogram on which they sat.

The Replica Fendi, on the other hand, is just kind of sad. The roses are boring and small, and they do nothing to spruce up the zucca print fabric that we’re all used to seeing. Find your own gimmick, Fendi – Vuitton’s already got this one on lock.