TIME AFTER TIME
Almost a decade later since the Fendi Peekaboo made its debut on the runway, Amy Yasmine takes a commemorative look at fashion’s iconic bag.
What makes an icon? Perhaps for some, a story that strikes a chord through the ages; for others, a beauty like no other. In Fendi’s case, its perennial Peekaboo walks a fine line between the two elements, as the bag celebrates its 10th anniversary of being in fashion’s spotlight. An idea sprung out at the Italian house’s Spring/Summer ’09 runway, through the Peekaboo, borne out of the idea of absence—the art of negative spaces, as well as the juxtaposition between density and lightness. Structured, exposed, yet secretive all at the same time, the Peekaboo’s ability to convey a multitude of dispositions is key in its appeal to different generations.
“The Peekaboo bag is simple, complex, and timeless,” says Silvia Venturini Fendi, the Italian label’s creative director of accessories, menswear, and kidswear, who masterminded the cult must-have. “It’s one of those objects that you want to belong to your family, that will really stay with you for all your life.” Case in point: her daughters Leonetta Luciano and Delfina Delettrez Fendi, who both take on the bag’s chameleon-like abilities to contrasting effect. “The Peekaboo bag is versatile, because it represents my different moods. It’s also full of surprises; on one side you can put all the things people can see, while on the other side I usually put things people cannot see,” says Leonetta Luciano, Silvia’s youngest.
Indeed, one of the bag’s attraction lies within its own construction, which ingeniously stores precious belongings in two mysterious compartments, divided by a stiff partition. Like a playful game of peek-a-boo, the compartments—front and back—can by styled in a mélange of varieties; dressed up and polished when locked, or dressed down with one compartment opened—revealing a discreet work of art hidden within the bag itself (think: tutti fiori embroideries, dramatic Fendi Monster eyes, or dramatic snakeskin for the uptown girl). In the words of Delfina Delettrez, the Peekaboo isn’t just a bag, it’s also “like a piece of jewellery”. Fendi, 2.19.00 & 3.21.00, Level 2 & 3, Pavilion KL. Tel: 03-2144 8696