Donna Aléssia Versatile Tricolor Convertible Handbag

Three colour blocks, and a bag that holds its shape

Nothing here is printed on. The colour comes from panels: white across the top third, a broad taupe front, sky blue running down both sides and along the handles. The grained finish is what keeps the bag standing rather than slumping when you set it down, and the front pocket runs almost the full width with a long zip pull that draws the eye downwards. Every buckle, ring and snap hook is silver-tone rather than bright chrome, so the fittings read as quiet detail.

Turning a handbag into a backpack with two clip-on straps

Two woven straps come with the bag, each one fitted with snap hooks at both ends and a slider for length. Clip one strap to the side rings and you have a shoulder or crossbody bag, set as long or as short as you like. Clip both, one per side, and it sits on your back, which is the point on a station platform or a school run. There is no folding, no hidden panel, no conversion kit: the whole thing rests on four snap hooks and two side rings.

What stays on when the straps come off

Unclip them and the bag returns to its plainest form, carried by the short sky blue handles riveted to the top panel. Those handles clear a coat sleeve comfortably but not a padded winter coat, which is precisely why the straps are worth keeping in the front pocket. A full-width zip closes the top, so the contents stay put whichever way you are carrying it.

Measurements and fittings at a glance

Where it sits in the rest of the range

Weekend luggage this is not. The depth swallows a folding umbrella, a paperback and a water bottle laid flat, and stops there. If you want to see how that compares before committing, browse the handbag section, block-colour pieces included and put the shapes side by side.

And if the strap matters more to you than the silhouette, go straight to the section where the strap does the work.