Bare Necessities

Eschewing seasonal trends for timeless chic, Fendi’s Peekaboo Essential is a truly modern bag for the ages, writes Kim Reyes

imeless. classic. icon. these words are too often uttered in reference to accessories with lifespans measured in seasons. But the savvy among us know that only a rarefied list of items can truly live up to their meaning. The ultimate test of an icon, surely, lies in its lasting appeal across generations. Yet despite it seeming a bit premature, we’re calling it now—the Fendi Peekaboo Essential will be among that list in due time. Since its debut in spring/summer 2009, the Peekaboo has been a canvas for Fendi’s playful designs, lending itself spectacularly to the Italian label’s decorative flights of fancy—from suede, sequins and shearling, to leopard print, multicoloured python and monster eyes—for each new season. With its sophisticated top-handle silhouette and unmistakable slouched look, the Peekaboo’s most enduring quality is its chic simplicity. As Silvia Venturini Fendi once said about the covetable bag: “Simplicity is the new eccentricity. The simplicity relies on the concept of whispered luxury.” The bag’s latest iteration, the Peekaboo Essential, is the ultimate elevation of the designs that came before it. Swathed in full pelts of smooth leather with touches of diamond-cut hardware, this bag is comparatively austere, pared down and lighter. Only the essentials. But what the Peekaboo Essential lacks in ornamentation, it makes up for it with the thoughtfully considered architecture, exquisite materials, handworked construction, and meticulous attention to detail. True icons also capture the spirit of their times, and the Peekaboo Essential is a fitting metaphor for a zeitgeist fuelled by social media sharing. At once concealing and revealing, our “peekaboo” culture allows us to display what we want to the world, while keeping our most private and personal essentials hidden away. In a time that is less about what’s “in” than what matters, the Peekaboo Essential is a modern style icon at its most infallible— pure, purposeful and authentic. Now, more than ever, these codes epitomise the kind of whispered luxury that lasts a lifetime.