Behold, the return of the Fendi Spy bag: the carryall shaped like a prune with a low, round handle. While the bags were big in the mid ’00s, they’ve made a comeback this past year. Rihanna was spotted wearing the über-rare velvet and sequin “Squirrel” version. Only a few weeks ago, avid-reader Bella Hadid wore a boho version of the bag in ruddy orange leather with a crosshatched leather handle. Then, actor Tommy Dorfman took to Instagram with her prim Nantucket version of the roomy Noughties sack, decorated with preppy pinstripes with cream white handles. “Go big or go home,” says Dorfman. “It is sustainability sourced, fits my water bottle, camera, electronics, and pet treats.”
The Fendi Spy falls neatly into the ongoing revival of buzzy-but-logoless bags of the ’00s. Two decades ago they were carried by insiders with an IFKYK attitude, those who wouldn’t tote a bag with as big a fandom as, say, Louis Vuitton’s Murakami pieces. Alongside the Spy in this category are the Chloé Paddington, the Marc Jacobs Stam, the Proenza Schouler PS1, the Saint Laurent Mombasa, and to some degree, the Balenciaga City, which has experienced the biggest comeback of them all.
The Spy bag was created in 2005 by accessories maven Silvia Fendi, and it took off from there. In a small excerpt from Vogue’s November 2005 issue, Miami-based real estate and marketing professional Criselda Breene noted how the look in Miami was “casual,” so she outfitted her ensemble with a periwinkle-blue crocodile bag that clocked in at £26,000. In the April 2006 issue, actor Kristen Bell showed off her £1,660 white leather Fendi Spy bag.
The list of celebrity fans goes on: Gwen Stefani (who had the mocha-coloured one), Nicky Hilton (chocolate brown), Heidi Montag (a blinding West Coast metallic gold), and Sarah Jessica Parker (snakeskin). Years after they fell out of favour, they’re a steal. Currently, the pieces are available on resale sites from £200 to £520 (I tried to scoop Rihanna’s delicious velvet version on The RealReal for £420, but alas, it was sold).
The Fendi Spy bag resurgence feels right in step with the world right now. People are commuting and going back to work. The itty-bitty bags of years before seem even more cumbersome than an anvil-sized bag. The real world is upon us! So while prices are down, buy yourself a Spy.