Tiny bags for big names

This time last year, fashion suffered an unexpected bereavement: the "It-bag" – the forever-changing must-have model toted by every Kate, Keira and Sienna – was no more, or so we were told. With showy branding and signature detailing out, everyone assumed that the day of the status-symbol handbag had passed. What's more, when times are hard, wielding a whopping Louis Vuitton model just seems crass. But fashion will always find a way to demonstrate hierarchy, and it's since been recovering from its recent loss rather well.

Thus we now find ourselves in the era of the teeny clutch and the "baby bag"; accessories whose diminutive proportions belie both their price and the strength of the statement they make. Once considered useful but generally boring corollaries for an evening dress, designers have been thinking big for their small-scale creations this season. Luxe materials and fanciful shapes are just some of the treats on offer – and a snip at a few hundred pounds a pop.

Savvier celebrities are grabbing the chance to do a bit of subtle showboating. On one hand, Eva Green's offbeat Union Jack print, Katy Perry's cute cupcake and Chloë Sevigny's embellished box-clutch all say, "I'm too cool to care about flaunting an enormous designer bag." But – crucially – they also whisper, "I have an army of staff carrying boring necessities... and I won't be needing a make-up bag since I also happen to have won the genetics lottery."

Vogue helpfully suggests that anyone who has invested in a pretty clutch this season should make it their standard day bag. Now that's a status bag if ever there was one. At least a Louis Vuitton whopper had room for your home-made sarnies.