Make mine a mini

Gone are the days of the enormous IT-bag, says Harriet Walker. The new breed is small but stylish

Thanks to the ubiquitous uber-bags of recent seasons (designed so large they make everyone look skinny), you might have just resigned yourself to a future of fashionable sciatica. But it's all change this autumn: the bag of the moment is the mini-bag.

It's no new phenomenon – luxury goods label Fendi launched its first "baguette" 15 years ago and celebrates it this month with a newly published monograph (below) devoted to the style. The nano-trinket became some of the most desirable arm candy in the world, inspiring waiting lists and fakes, so it's only right that current tastes should follow suit in the month of that trend-setter's birthday.

At Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana, classic and signature styles were reworked in smaller form, a cutesy nod to the full-blown originals, while Prada and Miu Miu combined characteristic practicality and prettiness in mini-satchels that come in a range of fondant and sweet shop shades. And on the high-street, there are several incarnation to choose from. Just remember to travel light.