Designer bags a-go-go

For years one of the few ways to feel like a million bucks was to sport a designer-logo tote. It immediately added chic to one's wardrobe, which might otherwise consist of high-street creations. It didn't really seem to matter, because the bag seemed to speak for the rest of the items in our cupboards.

However, times are changing and so is this trend. With the many knock-offs seen dangling off countless shoulders and the new designer offensive to design for the low-end market, it no longer seems necessary to fork out a fortune to feel special. Although women will always long for designer-cachet, a new brand of shoppers is changing its shopping offensive. These are the so-called smart shoppers, women who look for function as well as style.

According to author of the "Handbags: The power of the purse", Anna Johnson, designer bags are no longer viewed as a status symbol but as an object of desire. "Real class," she says, "is impervious to labels". Johnson thinks that smart women are going for a "middle-ground status bag." The trend for loud logo's is out, and discretion and style is in. The hiphop-style logo-overload appears to be a thing of the past.

The big problem with designer bags seems to be their incredibly short shelf life. As soon as the pictures of celebrities toting their new prizes appear in the magazines, the bags have been knocked off a million times over and the whole neighbourhood is running around with the same design, be it fake or real. The newness wears off almost before the first bag has been sold.

The smart shoppers are also weary of being typecast by their bags. They dislike initials, slogans and large lettering and refuse to be obvious. The danger of having your bag be more interesting or famous than you are is also a definite no-no. No woman wants people to remember the accessories and not the woman.