Designer tote is summer’s must-have – here’s the £20 supermarket take

One of the hottest names in handbags right now is undoubtedly Polène. I hadn’t even heard of the Parisian leather goods company this time a couple of years ago; now I have a list as long as my arm of their designs that I would love to buy, if only I could afford the £350-plus price tag.

From the squishy little Numéro Neuf Mini to the softly-sculptural Béri bag, the uber-chic brand has plenty of covetable options – and even the Princess of Wales is a fan, having worn Polène bags to a number of royal engagements. But there’s one option that would be particularly great for summer, and that is the boat-shaped Cyme tote, which offers just about the most stylish way to cart your belongings round on holiday that I can imagine.

When travelling with my two kids recently, I felt rather embarrassed of the decade-old black backpack I was using for hand luggage. The most stylish women on the flight were boarding with practical but chic tote bags; perfect for all your bits and bobs on the plane but also brilliant when doubled up as a beach bag. If I had one of these, no one would need to know that it contained arm bands, baby wipes and various crumbled-up kids snacks inside – the overall effect would still be elegant.

Unfortunately, the £390 for this gorgeous piece of arm candy is slightly beyond my means. However, there’s a Polène-inspired piece from – wait for it – a UK supermarket that has caught my eye, and I feel it might fill the Cyme-shaped hole in my life.

Enter Tu at Sainsbury’s with its two-tone, canvas tote bag. It has a similar A-line shape and refined colour palette, plus (crucially) loads of room for the endless stuff I find myself ferrying about.

I am surprised this bag hasn’t sold out already, given its designer inspiration and amazing price tag at just £20. With all that money I’ve saved, I can treat myself to another holiday – except this time solo, with just a stack of novels and a beach towel in my lovely new tote. The dream.