Fancy a Gucci* handbag for £25? Just go to M&S!

Well can YOU tell the difference?

HELL has frozen over. After decades of me deriding the frankly awful, plasticy, mumsy bags in M&S, they have gone and toppled my entire belief system – that a designer handbag costing over a grand is an ‘investment’. The reason? This batch of badass beauties, no less. They are such near-perfect doppelgangers for Gucci and Prada, you wonder why lawsuits haven’t been flying. And it’s not just the shape that’s familiar to those of us who drool at the windows of their flagship stores in Old Bond Street, but every detail down to the gilt chain strap, the twist lock clasp, the eye-popping colours. No wonder fashion sales at M&S are at long last on the up. It’s a change of tack: Marks has wasted millions employing teams of designers, and stars such as Alexa Chung, to come up with new ideas, but why bother when you can copycat the catwalk? So why are the new M&S bags not only as good as the originals, but better?

Well, aside from the prices, they are much lighter. The new black Prada tote (£1,780) weighs a ton, whereas Marks’s super-soft dead ringer at £39.50 means you will also save the hundreds you’d have otherwise spent on a chiropractor.

Admittedly, the M&S bags are made in China or India, but the ‘Made in Italy’ label doesn’t have the cachet it once had. Most importantly, for anyone who cares about animals and pollution caused by tanneries, the fact that most of M&S bags are faux is a definite plus.

My only provisos are that the lining should be sturdier as I’m worried it will tear, and a few more zippable pockets would be good.

But at these prices, I’m quibbling.

M&S £25 M&S £85 GUCCI GUCCI £1,260 £1,340 LIZ SAYS: SO the M&S bag is polyester and made in China, while the Gucci bag is in red signature leather and made in Italy. Who cares? The Marks bag is sturdy and light – and at this price you will still be...

LIZ SAYS: OK, spot the difference. This is a teenager’s bag: she will have her hands free to text, and you will still be able to afford her school fees. The M&S bag is 100 per cent synthetic – great for those eco-conscious young women who want their...