Bread might be off the menu in the Ozempic era, but there’s one variant that will never go out of style – the baguette. Or rather, the Baguette, the iconic handbag by Italian brand Fendi that has enjoyed cult status since being launched in 1997.
Fans include pop stars Kylie Minogue and Rihanna, as well as supermodel Kate Moss.
But the most famous fan of all is surely Carrie Bradshaw, the fabled fashionista from Sex and the City.
While the hit TV show raised the profile of actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie, it also boosted the popularity of the labels she wore.
One luxury brand that did particularly well out of the series, which ran from 1998 to 2004, was Fendi.
Carrie’s love affair with her Baguette was as long-running as her love affair with Mr Big. So when Fendi launched its new summer ad campaign, there was only one person to call: Sarah Jessica Parker.
The actress, who turned 61 earlier this year, is photographed holding a black-and-white iteration of the Baguette, with a red trim and a silver buckle featuring the bag’s iconic double ‘F’.
Actress Jessica Alba and model Iris Law are also featured in the campaign.
Iconic: Sarah Jessica Parker reunited with the iconic Baguette in Fendi’s ad campaign
Sarah Jessica Parker is seen filming And Just Like That… the follow up series to Sex and the City
As a sexagenarian, Ms Parker represents a change from Fendi’s usual brand ambassadors.
Previous ads have starred influencer Nara Smith, 24, and models Lila Moss, 23, and Vittoria Ceretti, 28 – whose boyfriend is Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s further proof that, after decades of appealing to the youth market, luxury brands are finally aiming their advertising at the only customers who can actually afford to buy their products: older women.
Fendi’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, 62, is no slouch in knowing what women want, having held the same position at French brand Christian Dior.
For autumn/winter 2026, Ms Chiuri has returned the Baguette to its original, slender silhouette – rendering it in the same proportions as the purple sequin version that Carrie Bradshaw was mugged for 26 years ago. In season three of Sex and the City, she memorably tried to fob off a thief by pleading: ‘This isn’t a bag, it’s a Baguette.’
Carrie also wore the bag in an episode of the show’s spin-off, And Just Like That, in 2021.
Part of Grazia Chiuri’s debut handbag collection for Fendi, the Baguette – designed to be tucked snugly under the arm, mirroring the way Parisians carry their bread – launches worldwide on July 16.
Proof that, even in the age of fat jabs, some carbs will always be in vogue.
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