Handbags

The Most Stylish Types of Fendi Handbags

The Fendi name is synonymous with Italian style. Learn more about the brand’s rich history and the types of Fendi handbags here.

By 

Meyme Nakash

 |  January 1, 2025

Fendi handbags are some of the most covetable fashion accessories today, balancing contemporary designs with the quality of timeless styles. It all started in 1925, when husband-and-wife duo Edoardo and Adel Fendi founded a small fur and handbag boutique in Rome. Their namesake brand quickly grew into a successful business, attracting clients worldwide as a marker of Italian style. In 1946, the couple’s five daughters — Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda — joined the company, each propelling the Fendi name in a creative or business capacity. Fast-forward to today, and Fendi is one of the most expensive purse brands in the world, with members of the family still working in the company.

As for Fendi’s design codes, the city of Rome deeply inspired Adel, who often channeled elements from the city’s culture and architecture in her work. Fendi’s signature Selleria stitching, for instance, was a technique she learned from master horse saddlers in Rome. Until now, some of the brand’s most prized handbags feature this handsewn, equestrian-inspired topstitching. Another defining element of Fendi handbags is the double F logo. Karl Lagerfeld, the brand’s late creative director (1965–2019), is responsible for introducing the iconic motif into its collections. While the luxury fashion house had already built a reputation for stunning handbags, the double F logo helped cement several of its styles onto the coveted list of the world’s most iconic handbags. Here, we round up the most stylish types of Fendi handbags you should know and identify the qualities that make them unique and timeless. 

The Most Stylish Types of Fendi Handbags

Baguette Bag

“It’s not a bag. It’s a Baguette!” exclaimed Carry Bradshaw of Sex and the City, while flaunting her limited-edition Baguette bag in purple sequin. First released in 1997, the Baguette bag is the most iconic type of Fendi handbag, easily recognizable by its rectangular silhouette and double F closure. Edoardo and Adel’s granddaughter Silvia Venturini Fendi, creative director of accessories, conceived this style by pulling inspiration from the casual way Parisian women carry loaves of bread under their arms. 

The Fendi Baguette has a short strap and front flap with a double F closure. Inside, there’s one internal compartment and a large zipper pocket on the back wall. The original Baguette bag has only a short strap, and newer versions have an additional detachable cross-body strap. This affords more options for wearing the bag, although the most popular choice is over the shoulder. The Baguette bag comes in a mini and standard size in various types of leather and limited-edition materials. The most popular style is the standard version in nappa leather, which retails for $3,750.

Fendi has released several renditions of the bag over the years, including the Baguette Mini, Chain Midi, and Pouch. The Baguette Mini has recently gained popularity due to the mini bag trend. It’s a smaller version of the original Baguette bag, with a top handle and metal chain in lieu of the detachable long strap. The Baguette Chain Midi also has a metal chain but is closer in size to the classic style and has a rounder appearance. The Baguette Pouch, on the other hand, is more abstract, with a simple rectangle silhouette, a top zipper, and a chain shoulder strap. 

Peekaboo 

Another hero style designed by Silvia Venturini is the Peekaboo bag, named after the classic children’s game because its interior is exposed when the front flap is pushed down. She designed it without a logo, focusing on its silhouette and beautiful finishes. Fendi released the Peekaboo in 2008 as part of its fall/winter collection. Though it was well received at the time, the bag has boomed recently with the rise of “quiet luxury,” a movement championing minimalist fashion. 

It has a trapezoid shape, a top handle, and a metal turnlock clasp. Its interior has multiple pockets, including a zipper pocket, slip pockets, and a card slip, making it functional for everyday wear. There are five sizes, from mini to extra large, although the mini version is currently the most popular. The Peekaboo comes in calf, lamb, and Cuio Romano leather — the brand’s signature soft calfskin leather. Fendi also offers limited-edition options with interlaced leather and crystal embellishments. 

The Peekaboo ISeeU is a more casual version of the original style.

It features an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap that you can wear over the shoulder or as a cross-body. Other distinctive features include a removable inner pocket that you can have embroidered with your initials or a message. It also has a partition inside, dividing the interior compartment and turn-lock clasps on both sides rather than one. It comes in sizes from petite to large. Many people have difficulty choosing between the Peekaboo Mini and Peekaboo ISeeU Petite because of their similarities; we recommend considering whether you’re looking for a formal or more relaxed handbag. 

A classic Peekaboo Mini costs $4,900, and the Peekaboo ISeeU Petite is $4,400 in stores.

Simply Fendi

The Simply Fendi is a recent addition to the brand’s portfolio. It was inspired by an archival handbag from the 1990s. The new silhouette debuted at the brand’s fall/winter 2024 fashion show. Simply Fendi has an elongated rectangle shape, a knotted calfskin leather zip pull, and a decorative double F leather accent on the bottom right corner. The handbag is designed to be worn over the shoulder and has an adjustable strap for comfort. The internal compartment is lined and doesn’t have pockets or slips. 

This type of Fendi handbag comes in mini, medium, and large sizes. The mini size has no internal pockets or slips, while the medium and large sizes have one zipper pocket on the back wall. It’s available in the brand’s signature jacquard fabric with the double F pattern, calfskin leather, and metallic calfskin leather. The price of a Simply Fendi Mini starts at $1,850, and since the style is so new, it’s hard to find on the secondhand luxury market. 

By the Way

In 2014, Fendi introduced the By the Way as an elegant, multipurpose Boston-style bag. Silvia Venturini designed it to be carried in multiple ways: by the hand, over the shoulder, or as a cross-body with its detachable strap. In 2024, Fendi revamped the bag by giving it a more relaxed appearance. The brand also began offering versions incorporating Selleria stitching into its calfskin leather handles and case charm. In addition to calfskin leather, the By the Way comes in classic jacquard fabric and soft sheepskin shearling. Its sizes include mini, medium, and large — all of which have one unlined internal compartment. We love the size large, which retails for $3,190, as a chic oversize clutch for every day. 

Fendi Origami

A tote and bucket bag hybrid, Fendi Origami debuted at the brand’s fall/winter 2023 fashion show. Its shapeshifting silhouette pulls inspiration from the ancient Japanese folding technique origami — hence the bag’s name. The ingenious design of this handbag includes eight internal magnets, which come together at the center to create a bucket bag style; to convert it back to a trapezoid-shaped shopper bag, just release the magnets’ hold from one another. This type of Fendi handbag only comes in the size mini, priced at $1,950. It’s available in calfskin leather and classic or velvet jacquard fabric with calfskin leather trimmings. It has one lined internal compartment and gold-finished hardware.

Fendi Sunshine

If you’re looking for a statement tote bag, the Fendi Sunshine is a fabulous choice. The brand debuted the style in 2020 and released a reedition in 2023, offering it as a mini, small, medium, and large shopper. Its handles come in either tortoise-patterned plexiglass or calfskin leather and are connected to the bag via gold-finished, FF-embossed hinges. The bag also has a detachable leather strap, so you can wear it as a cross-body. Other design elements include a square-shaped silhouette, a Fendi Roma hot-stamping across the front, and Selleria stitching on the bag’s top half. The brand offers this bag in calfskin leather and classic jacquard fabric, both of which retail for $3,100 in size medium.

Fendigraphy

Fendi presented the Fendigraphy bag at its spring/summer 2022 show. This hobo-style bag features gold-finished metal Fendi lettering on the bottom, which is visible to onlookers when you wear it over the shoulder. It comes in sizes mini and small; the mini version is attached by metal hooks, meant to be worn in hand or over the wrist, and the small size has an adjustable shoulder strap. The bag has a top zip closure, and inside, there’s one fabric-lined compartment. Fendi offers it in calfskin leather and classic or velvet jacquard fabric. There’s also a limited-edition Fendigraphy Mini embellished with iridescent crystals and silver-tone hardware, perfect for a night on the town. A classic calfskin leather Fendigraphy Mini is $2,150 at retail, whereas the small size starts at $2,590.

Fendi First

Designed by Kim Jones, former creative director of Fendi (2020–2024), the Fendi First is a bold, pouch-style bag. Its central element is the oversize F clasp that binds the bag, rendered in nappa leather and gold-finished hardware. It has one internal compartment lined with the brand’s classic jacquard fabric. The Fendi First comes in small and midi sizes, and both come with a detachable strap that can be worn over the shoulder or across the body. The main variation of the bag is nappa leather, which has a soft look and starts at $3,190 in size small. It’s also available in limited-edition sequin and python leather finishings. 

Mon Trésor

The phrase mon trésor means “my treasure” in French, a name befitting a bag that’s both functional and stylish. This bucket bag has detachable shoulder and cross-body straps, making it incredibly versatile. As for the body, it has either a printed or embossed three-dimensional double F pattern. You can easily open and close it by adjusting the leather drawstring. The mini bag comes in one size and various materials, including calfskin leather, printed canvas, and classic or velvet jacquard fabric. It has gold-finish hardware and a signature F charm. The Mon Trésor has one internal compartment that fits a standard-size smartphone, lipstick, and other small belongings. Its starting price is $1,850 at retail.

Roll 

The Roll bag is Fendi’s traditional take on the classic tote. It comes in mini, medium, and large sizes. Fendi released the medium Roll bag in 1997, and it’s the only size with Selleria stitching on the shoulder strap. The medium and large versions have one large compartment with an internal zipper pocket on the back wall; the mini Roll bag has a top zipper with a knotted calfskin leather pull. It’s available in classic or velvet jacquard fabric and calfskin leather and starts at $1,550 for the mini size. 

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