A Fashionable Fête
Better than a French loaf: Stanley Korshak celebrates 15 years of the covetedFendi baguette
Who said that birthday parties are only for people? Stanley Korshak would certainly disagree. Last month, the store celebrated the 15th birthday of the Fendi baguette and honored the host committee for the inaugural Celebrity Chef Luncheon.
If you’re a fashion lover and obsessive handbag collector, you know guests weren’t breaking bread at the party. The exquisite department store flaunted Fendi’s most coveted handbag — which is (almost) better than the French loaf from which the bag gets its name.
What started in Italy in 1925 as Adele and Edoardo Fendi’s fur and leather shop has became one of the largest fashion houses in the world. When Karl Lagerfeld signed on as creative director, he designed the double-F logo that revolutionized the brand.
However, in 1997, it was granddaughter Silvia Fendi, head of accessories, who proposed a practical, baguette-like handbag that fit the essentials perfectly. The idea sold, of course.
But it’s not the classic bag stamped with Fendi’s logo that ladies adore; the company created limited-edition baguettes adorned with beads, embroidery, fur, mirrors and leather, in an assortment of colors. It was brilliant from a business perspective — and thrilling for bag snobs.
So when Korshak hosted a birthday celebration for the bag that Carrie Bradshaw made famous on Sex and the City, guests including Rose Clark, Martha Leonard, Cara French, Alicia Wood, Tara Bozman, Janet Brock, Darlene Haynes and Lisa Ogle came wrapped in chic attire, excited to ogle the bags on display, along with the equally beautifulFendi Baguettebook.