Fashion, Back to the ’60s in Brazil

ITAMONTE, Brazil

NOT long ago, Bill Morgan, the founder of North Beach Leathers, had a dream about Carlos Santana. In the dream, Mr. Santana, the guitarist, was wearing a fabulous snakeskin and black chamois jumpsuit, courtesy of Mr. Morgan.

“I can’t wait to make it,” Mr. Morgan said recently.

Never mind that North Beach Leathers has been defunct since 2002. If all goes according to plan, the man whose gloriously groovy leather designs once graced the bodies of Jimi, Janis and Jerry (not to mention Jackie, O. J., Mick, Bo, Cher and Elvis) will be selling his sheepskin coats, fringe jackets, leather pants, suede bikinis and itty-bitty dresses once again.

But instead of reopening in, say, San Francisco or Brooklyn, Mr. Morgan is setting up both a virtual store and a bricks-and-mortar one in the mountains of Brazil, in this tiny village midway between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

“There is a great opportunity in the next four years to create a brand that encapsulates the ideals and energy of the ’60s,” said Mr. Morgan, who is 74 but looks a decade younger thanks, perhaps, to daily two-hour walks and a boyish glint in his eye. “We certainly have the story, and it seems to be really resonating with the young people of Brazil. We are hoping that this will be the case for China, India and the rest of the world.”

It is a bit of déjà vu for Mr. Morgan, a former world-class runner who first visited Brazil in 1964 to compete in the Corrida de São Silvestre, a 100-year-old race. He fell in love with the country, moved to the Copacabana neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, and began importing and exporting handicrafts. Along the way, he stumbled upon a tannery that manufactured cowhide, and shipped some back to the United States.

Baguette Bag, Tucked Under the Arm and Turning Heads in Paris

PARIS — In the window at the Colette concept store, the purses looked like elements of an art exhibition. And in a way they are.

To celebrate 15 years of the baguette bag, named for the crusty French loaf of bread, Fendi put on display the most colorful and decorative versions.

Thick with embroidery, rich in embellishment, tasseled, fringed and above all colorful, the baguettes drew the attention of passers-by. They have remained must-have purchases over a time span when the “it” bag was supposed to survive barely one season.

A lavishly illustrated 250-page book published by Rizzoli shows the personal inspirations of Silvia Venturini Fendi, such as the sprinkling of daisies by her youngest daughter, a mustard yellow beaded bag or raffia with jet embroidery.

It also includes purses by artists from Damien Hirst through Jeff Koons to Richard Prince. (Ms. Fendi calls them “real artists.”) The bags make lively illustrations, although the final count in the book is far less than the 1,000 original creations made since 1997.

Why baguette? The bags are rectangular, and not long, like the bread. But like the French loaf, they were designed to be tucked under the arm.