Beautiful designer handbags make a statement, but can also have a serious impact on your bank statement. In the new Sex and the City film, handbag hire features prominently. While it is big business in the US - led by www.bagborroworsteal.com - the business has only recently crossed the Atlantic. UK-based HandbagHireHQ set up last July and has attracted 200 members, who pay a monthly fee and then a charge for every bag they rent.

James Trafford, a serving police inspector who founded the business with his wife Jo, said: "Increasingly we get women hiring three bags at a time. When the bags are worth up to £2,000 each, buying three a month is a bit steep for even wealthy women."