How we shop now

The politicians say it is an age of austerity, yet sales of It bags are booming. Welcome to the era of considered consumption, where we spend more on better-quality pieces, but buy fewer of them

Meet Marcie, Alexa and Rocco. Not three hot young things, but three hot new bags. Yours for £895, £695 and £795 respectively, they are fashion’s latest “must-have” items and almost impossible to get hold of. Because, believe it or not, the It bag is back. Sales are up — up at Selfridges (60% in the past year in designer handbags alone); up at Harvey Nichols (you’d better hotfoot it to get your hands on Chloe’s Marcie bag there, as it keeps selling out); up at Mulberry — with an online waiting list of 9,000 for its Alexa — and up at LVMH, which has posted a 13% increase in comparable first-quarter profits. You could be forgiven for thinking you’d fallen asleep in 2010 and woken up in the Wirral circa 2005. And, given the dawn of the new age of austerity our politicians keep telling us about, you could also be forgiven for thinking that the return of the It bag is a notion that rather sticks in the throat.

Before you harangue us all for having our heads buried too deep in our Alexas to notice what is happening in the world, rest assured that women’s shopping habits and the economic barometer are indeed linked. Our general spend on clothing dropped for the first time in nearly two decades in 2009, and buyer’s guilt set in fast. “We really were able to track the increase in items being returned against all those Lehman headlines,” says Sarah Curran, founder of my-wardrobe.com. “There would be a huge spike after a particularly bad story, thanks to buyer’s guilt.”

For the average shopper, 2010 will, undoubtedly, be nothing like the purchase-heavy playground of the heady days of the mid-Noughties. “My income has gone down by 50% from two years ago,” says Suzanne Noble, a business consultant and mother of two boys. “And it’s the same for all my friends. We simply can’t afford to go shopping like we used to.”

That doesn’t mean there isn’t still a hankering, though. Karen Pine, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of Sheconomics, says: “Women go shopping because they need the thrill, the kick, and those emotional reasons and psychological needs haven’t gone away. Shopping has become part of our language; we talk about what we bought and where we got it, and we value others’ ability to find bargains and look good. Just because money is in short supply, it doesn’t mean that changes. It just manifests itself in different ways.”

So, how does Noble scratch that fashion itch now? “My friends and I spend one Saturday a month going round the charity shops. We take £50 and say, ‘Okay, let’s see what we can get,’ then come back with four bags of clothes. Or I will just buy one thing that I really, really have to have. At the moment it’s an Acne blue-and-white-stripe maxidress that’s sold out everywhere. I just want one nice thing that is a must-have that I’m going to wear for the next three years.”

Her approach is typical of a trend that forecasters at The Future Laboratory call Considered Consumption. “You’ve got a more sophisticated consumer now,” says the retail guru Mary Portas. “They’re thinking, ‘Am I being a bit of a plonker here, just throwing money after this? Is it still going to be fabulous in a month’s time?” Consumers are also thinking about where they shop — and buying less and better is the message. “I’m disgusted by throwaway fashion now,” says Georgia Irwin, 29, a marketing director. “I was into it five years ago, and I still do a Topshop run every now and again, but I feel genuine guilt if I go into H&M to buy something I’m only going to wear once.”

The retail analyst Sarah Peters says it’s the top end, the more exciting products, that are selling. “People want a garment that stands out, is well designed and well made.” What they want — whether its Alexander Wang’s Rocco bag or Acne’s striped maxidress — is the wow factor. “People aren’t buying the things on our site they already have in their wardrobes, such as black trousers. They are buying key statement pieces,” says Curran. “Women cheer themselves up by treating themselves to something special.”

“Fashion has always responded to economic crises with luxury,” says the fashion historian Colin McDowell. “In the 1920s, when there were still problems after the first world war, Chanel encouraged people to buy by raising the hemline on skirts, which was shocking at the time. By the mid 1930s, post the Wall Street crash, fashion was all about glamorous clothes, and luxury was perfectly acceptable for those with money. Then, after the second world war, what did we see in Paris? Dior’s New Look, made from extravagant amounts of material.” And out of the early-1990s recÂession, we got Alexander McQueen.

Designers today are aware that if they want women to keep buying their clothes, they’d better come up with some good reasons why. “Being more and more creative attracts customers,” says the designer Christopher Kane. “People invest in pieces that will last and not depreciate in value. Good quality means good design.”

And it is that design, that individual creativity, that is driving fashion now. You only have to look at the hugely popular street-style phenomenon to see that what’s rated is not dressing by numbers, or following a trend, but statement pieces — and, crucially, how you style them, how you make them your own, whether it’s a Christopher Kane dress or something you picked up from Oxfam.

“I think the ‘it’ factor has got to come from the person,” says Joan Burstein, owner of Browns boutique. Says Portas: “I talk about status stories rather than status symbols. It’s a much more interesting and sexy way of dressing. It’s about where you got it from, what you managed to get it for and your own take on it, which I think we missed for a long time.” What’s clear is that the desire to shop is something that is holding hard. “Fashion will always have an important role in society,” Kane says. “People should be encouraged to look and feel good. It’s not being vain, it’s a part of life.”

They’ve got the wow factor

— The eagerly awaited SS10 Asos Black collection went on sale on May 14, and is a fairy-tale selection of chiffon and frills. Not your average high-street frock, there is a whimsical nude number which a real head-turner. £140.

— Designer shoes at high-street prices — denim wedges from Pierre Hardy’s sixth collaboration with Gap won’t hang around for long. £55.

— The go-to brand for laid-back cool, Rika is fast becoming the hot new label for those in the know. Get there before everyone else does. Leather shorts, £430, from The Shop at Bluebird; 020 7351 3873.

— The season’s must-have maxi, there is a striped number which is hot property and has been going for double on eBay. £150;start-london.com.

— The label Sandro was founded in Paris in 1984, but was introduced to Britain only a few years ago. An instant hit, the quirky pieces are flying off Fenwick’s rails. Already a sellout once, they have a jumpsuit will be back in store shortly. £189.

— Add a bit of bespoke to your wardrobe with a leather jacket from Allsaints. Each one is unique, with vintage biker badges, so you’ll never bump into anyone wearing the same. And that’s well worth the price tag, we think. £450.

— A hit for its feminine drapes and popping colours, Roksanda Ilincic’s second line for high-street hero Whistles is fast selling out, with a yellow dress topping the sales charts. £250.

— How to stand out when carrying the most talked-about bag of the season? Buy it in a limited-edition colour. Alexa bag, £796, by Mulberry, exclusive to Selfridges.com.

— On-trend leopard print? Practical wedge? You got it. Harvey Nichols reports sky-high sales of Opening Ceremony’s wedges. Grab a pair while you can. £335.

— Carven is the label on everyone’s lips Pieces from its new ready-to-wear line designed by Guillaume Henry will form the cornerstone of any wardrobe. From £130; net-a-porter.com.