THE KITCHEN SINK BAGS

when designers say big is beautiful, every woman should cheer.

But the fashion houses haven’t just re-thought the size of their models — it’s the handbags they carry down the catwalk that are growing.

After a few seasons of micro-bags (most measured just inches across), the big bag is back. it began with Balenciaga’s huge, striped, leather shopper (a sell-out last season), and now designers from Celine and Chloe to Louis Vuitton are boasting super-size styles for autumn/winter.

Known as ‘kitchen sink’ bags (because you can fit in everything but the kitchen sink), it’s claimed these styles have space for all your everyday essentials, thanks to clever pockets, handy fastenings and comfortable straps. But how much can you really fit in them — and how easy is it to rummage for what you need once they’re full?

Femail assistant style editor AMY KesTeR tested nine, costing from £35 to £1,500, to see how they cope with a list of daily essentials that includes a laptop, phone, Kindle, charger cable, keys, purse, sunglasses in a case, umbrella, bottle of water, compact, lipstick, lip balm, hand cream, travel-size perfume, nail file, hairbrush, gum, tissues and notepad with pen (pictured above). here is what she found . . .

...they’re called that because they claim you can fit EVERYTHING in. So which hold the most — and how do you ever find anything at the bottom?