When 27-year-old Isabel Solmonson was doing her seasonal clothing swap last month, something bright and shiny caught her eye.
In the back of her closet, hidden behind mountains of new purchases, was a pale-pink, beaded Fendi “Mama” Baguette. It beckoned to her like a long forgotten friend.
In 2001, Solmonson’s older sister spent $1,000 on the pricey pouch during the “Sex and the City” heyday when Carrie Bradshaw and her every-expanding arsenal of Fendi Baguettes made the purse — notable for its slim, streamlined silhouette — an international must-have.
“I remember it was the most beautiful bag I could ever imagine at the time,” says Solmonson, an associate broker at Kleier Residential who works as a stylist on the side.
“And it was very quickly passed on to me once my sister was ‘over it.’ ”
Eventually, Solmonson, too, was over it.
In the course of a year or two, the Baguette had become so ubiquitous — and so ripped off — that it quickly went from bag du jour to the bag no more.
But ever since Fendi celebrated the 15-year anniversary of its iconic Baguette last spring, the purse has been toasty-hot again.
In the last year, style makers such as Jessica Biel, Emma Stone, Olivia Palermo and even Sarah Jessica Parker have all been photographed sporting the pouch.
“Overexposure kind of went away and settled down and now it’s time to bring it back,” says Maria Duenas-Jacobs, Elle magazine’s accessories director.
She says once Fendi commemorated the Baguette last spring, the nostalgia of many NYC fashionistas got the best of them.
“Everyone was like, ‘I’m taking mine out!’ ” says Duenas-Jacobs.
“That’s the type of thing you do regret if you have consigned it. Otherwise, you dig it up and say, ‘I’m so glad I’m hoarding things in my small New York apartment.’ ”
Sabrina Malen was one of the lucky ones.
The 29-year-old Upper East Sider had saved big for the classic, black silk Baguette with the silver buckle she purchased for $500 her freshman year of college.
“Oh my God. It must be 12 years old already. I wanted that bag so badly — everyone had one. It was birthday, Hanukkah, savings, everything all rolled into one.”
But eventually, the Baguette seemed crusty to a fashion-forward Malen.
She had grown so fond of cross-body bags, she gave her mother the once-prized purse.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I won’t be wearing it anytime soon. But now it’s back. The fashion adage, everything old is new again . . . it’s true,” says Malen, an associate director at an NYC media agency, who says she realized the Baguette was back when it started popping up in fashion editorials again.
“I just hope she gives it back to me.”
Women aren’t just rediscovering their old Baguettes — they’re buying new ones, too.
Retailers such as Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman are prominently displaying the bags front and center. And sales associates say customers are snapping up Fendi’s seasonal rotation of super-embellished, limited-edition Baguettes.
The newest one is the “Buggie” Baguette, a $2,650 leather and fox fur purse that Fendi just released this Wednesday (if that’s too much, you can pony up a mere $580 for one of the “Buggie” bag charms instead).
“I find it interesting that there’s a resurgence,” says former “Sex and the City” stylist Patricia Field, the woman responsible for creating the craze.
“For me, it’s a response to bags being so big and heavy. I just believe that women are tired of dragging around these studded-metal, heavy bags and they’re looking for something more practical in size.”
Which explains why many Fendi fans are taking their Baguettes — an evening staple in the aughts — from night to day.
“A lot of models are wearing them a bit more casually with jeans and motorcycle boots,” says Duenas-Jacobs, who notes this gives the throwback purse a fresh look.
Just know that the bag’s revived popularity may have some pitfalls.
“When my sister sees me out and about sporting her old Baguette in a whole new way, I’m sure she’ll want to take it back,” jokes Solmonson.
“But that’s what sisters are for — borrowing and sharing.”