Fashion's packaging: it's the thought that counts

Fashion's packaging should never be left an after-thought. Certainly not if you're abiding by the 'it's the thought that counts' maxim. These days the box, bag and wrapping of the garment are as important as the gift itself, becoming instantly recognisable by only a colour (Tiffany, Hermes) a letter (Chanel) a ribbon (Net-a-Porter) or a stitch (Martin Margiela). After all, it's the thought that goes into branding that makes it impossible to resist some of the most covetable designs today.

Successful packaging comes in many shapes and forms, but for companies like Chanel, Hermes, Tiffany, Harvey Nichols, Pop magazine and even Campbell's Soup, the outside packaging is as delectable as what is to be found inside. But whether it is the self logo - such as the intertwining 'C's at Chanel - or the powder blue boxes at Tiffany, the label and packaging is key to its covetability and above all recognition. Which, although fashionistas are not usually susceptible to wearing visible (written) logos, often it is the cut, the heel or the fabric that speaks of branding and design.

The many forms of packaging took a turn over a decade ago when a new young Belgian designer chose to identify his clothes with nothing other than a blank white square of cotton attached with four clumsy stitches. And it was equally gutsy of Martin Margiela to package them in blank white cotton bags when he opened his stores. But both tactics work. Do you know anyone who unpicks those white stitches from their Margiela knits?

Then there is Net-a-Porter, the online fashion retailer whose packaging resembles the grand days of deluxe American department stores more than bubble- wrapped e-commerce. The boxes are designed to be kept with a logo that is big enough to remind them of the brand name, but not so big as to be obnoxious. The bags and boxes remain the same, thus instantly recognisable- but Net-a-Porter freshens things up at the start of each season by changing the color of the tissue paper and the style of ribbon to keep things fashionable.

Lanvin, too, has caught on. One of the hottest brands of the moment, it's new packaging could rival that of Hermes, if blue were to become the new orange. Alber Elbaz, the brand's creative director, unveiled his new packaging a few weeks ago, and it is beautiful and covetable to say the least. Everything is blue - not Tiffany Blue, but Elbaz's zestier take on the founder Jeanne Lanvin's favourite shade of forget-me-not blue, which she first spotted in a Fra Angelico fresco. The logo is a reworking of a 1907 drawing, by the illustrator Paul Iribe, of Jeanne Lanvin and her 10-year-old daughter, Marguerite, dressed for a ball. The new shoe boxes are shaped like antique library files and tied with black satin ribbon. The box alone is a reason to buy the heftily priced shoes.

Needless to say, no packaging can ever matter more than its contents. But great packaging makes shopping more fun, and judging by eBay's thriving online trade in empty Hermès boxes, it can even be an investment.