时尚街拍网It buys are, by their very nature, short-lived.When something is so "of the moment" that it becomes almost ubiquitous, spotted on street-style stars, fashion week front rows and your Instagram feed, it"s destined to burn as fast as it does bright - only to be replaced by the next It buy, ad infinitum.
And the It bag carries the most status of the lot.Each offering from the biggest designer names on the block comes with fashion credibility and bragging rights (and the short life span to match), especially as so many of these bags are come with long waiting lists, limited supply only serving to increase demand.
But in recent days (as I type, Extinction Rebellion protests have ground traffic outside our London HQ to a halt)the cult of the new has begun to wane.Fashion"s never-ending cycle of buy, buy, buy - and the It bags that encapsulated it -now seemswasteful and out of date.
But, as a fashion editor, trends are my bread and butter, and it would be disingenuous of me to tell you to ignore them completely, or never to shop again.What I will advise, and a topic of constant conversation on The Telegraph"s fashion desk, is the new smart shopper"s credo: buy less, but buy better.
Ie, buy with an eye to longevity and investment.Only buy pieces that will work with what"s already in your wardrobe, and whatever your budget, buy the best version that you can afford.
And if you do want an It bag?Insteadof a flashy number that"s covered in logos or comes in a key colour of the season, try a new kind of It bag - one that won"t date from season to season, in a classic shade that will go with everything in summer or winter, and a shape that"s easy to use day to day.
Enter Giorgio Armani"s newest addition, La Prima, which fittingly isn"t new at all.The name, which translates to the first, nods to this bag"s origins, on an Armani catwalk in 1995.
“As the name suggests, La Prima was my first real venture into the complex yet fascinating world of accessories," says Giorgio Armani."I studied it for a long time to make it functional and sophisticated, feminine yet not overly romantic."
Six styles riff on the classic, inversatileshades - white, nude, burgundy, dark brown, black, military green, red....This is a bag you could wear with jeans at the weekend, a suit at the office, an evening dress come party season.
"The line of this bag echoes the fluid and precise silhouette of my clothes," says Armani,"the understated shape, softened by the pleats at the corners, makes it perfect for all occasions.”
La Prima, from £1150, Giorgio Armani, available to buy at Giorgio Armani"s Sloane Street boutique now, and globally from November
As with any designer It bag, it comes with a price-tag to match.But unlike a statement-making bag that will date quickly, you"ll be whittling down the cost-per-wear of this bag for years to come.
