Turning 25 has been maligned as a milestone; at some point over the last few decades, pop psychology branded the age as a time for a “quarter-life crisis” over becoming an adult. But 25 is an age when you really come into your own, to start giving serious thought to who you are and who you want to be. Uncertainties begin to wane, and a self-assurance starts to emerge in how you approach the world and express yourself. It’s a process that lasts long after you blow out 25 candles and one that actors Jordan Alexander and Grace Van Patten, dancer Erica Lall, and writer Tahereh Mafi have all found themselves exploring. Each will tell you that they look back on past style choices and cringe, bewildered by what they were once enamored with. But they’ll also say that that’s part of the journey—and one of many things that make fashion so fun and alluring. As Alexander says: “You can wake up every morning and decide who you want to be.”

Style is an essential avenue for self-discovery, and there are certain pieces that can serve as a touchstone—a throughline along the journey. The Fendi Baguette, which this year turns 25, clearly has the staying power to serve as a constant companion piece. Designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, the now-iconic bag debuted in 1997, and in a blink it was everywhere: on the laps of editors sitting front row at Fashion Week, slung over Carrie Bradshaw’s shoulder as she embraced life in New York on Sex and the City, completing the enviable…