We’ll Never See a Fendi Oyster Bag Again

The ‘00s Fendi Oyster bag, now less on the resale market, was as individualistic as they came.

A Deep Dive on the Fendi Oyster Bag about why we’ll never see it again, juice from a former Vogue editor, and curated links to buy it.

A wooden edition of the Fendi Oyster bag from Vogue September. 2002

Once upon a time, we didn’t need to decorate bags with keychains or patches to show our personalities or set ourselves apart from the doppelgänger bag pack. Over two decades ago, the landscape of It bags as expressions of oneself was far different. Instead, there was embedded variety in the design. One of the best examples is the fall 2002 Fendi Oyster bag, sometimes called the “Ostrik.” Like the Yves Saint Laurent Mombasa, the Fendi Oyster ran the mixed media gamut with designs in suede, canvas, reptile, and leather that were then whipstitched, etched, sprouting with fur, or came in the House’s Zucca monogram. The designs were as maximalist as they come. One Oyster bag, made from a canvas Zucca base that bursts with plumes of fur and silk flowers, is currently in The Met. In the early 2000s, there was an Oyster bag for everyone. No tchotchkefying necessary.

The bag is sensual, not only because of its aphrodisiac terminology but because the shape is deliciously feminine. One side follows a slight curve, like the soft slope of the ass. For a great compare and contrast moment, the other side of the bag flatly descends. The bag isn’t necessarily roomy and has a narrow width, though it may expand depending on the fabric. Whether or not you can stuff it, it maintains a structured look, as the sides are often reinforced with leather laces or grommets.