confused.com

No sooner as the last snow flake falls and the biting cold is replaced with fog and milder weather instead of donning our S/S12 gear we are already onto A/W12/13! Of course transatlantic this is Fall and I feel like falling in a never ending wave of fashion confusion.

Well if you want some clarity in your life then NYFW has produced a few pointers non more so than orange. The summation of colour from New York has to be black, grey, a greyish blue, magenta pink in dark and lighter hues and orange. Orange orange and tomato red the nearest red to orange.

 Marc Jacobs

 DVF

 Victoria Beckham

 Caroline Herrera

 3.1 Phillip Lim

Lets the Shows begin

And we are off....yes it starts in New York, fleetingly in London, then Milan and ends in Paris.

First up on Style.com was a Organic by John Patrick. Sweet and cute but dull is the edited, edited version. Actually they wrote a lot better than that, in the way you can dress up fashion show review copy.

It will be a never ending whirl of posts and pics for the next few weeks on the fashion blogosphere but for now I give you your new spring Sunday best. Then you won't moan when the big name shows looks are plastered everywhere, you be glad of the detail and spectacle!

dress: Organic by John Patrick image: Style.com

The shrine of conspicuous consumption!

In the days of my travels to New York, Paris and Milan , rarely thank goodness for the fashion shows. I have to say New York was and always will be my favourite place to shop. My first luxury lust was in Paris but then I was a poor fashion assistant journalist who had no money and when I was that person with money, I was working hard in Paris with no time for shopping! Although, somehow I always fulfilled the family beauty orders. My mother's sister is addicted to Guinot, which is only sold in beauty salons in the UK. I am addicted to BioDerma's Crealine H2O so always stock up in France.


My first designer handbag purchase was at Gucci in Milan - a beautiful leather old school small hobo. It is as chestnut as the best racehorse and the leather is sheer bliss. My best fun in Milan was always in Prada's shop in the Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele II, for some reason I reverted to a silly schoolgirl messing about on a Saturday afternoon in Dolcis and used to try on loads of shoes there in the downstairs and never buy a single pair. Mind you I'd always been having a lunchtime tipple with friends in the Piazza del Duomo.


But it is in New York that the experience moves into another bracket. The service is unforgettable. If its bad you can have a good old ding dong and be satisfied! My best argument was in Starbucks in Trump Tower and it was extremely satisfactory for both me and the girl serving. I'm surprised we didn't high five after it! I do like the rudeness factor in New York - its all give and take, whereas in London, stroppiness is one step away from a straight jacket.


And just when the memory of your NYC trip is fading you get a little card from Gucci or Bergdorf to thank you for you custom. Sometimes even a Christmas card. Not only have you got the goods but you've got a keepsake of the moment you bought them. Mind you it is only the shoe and bag people that do this.


Except for one of my Bergdorf excursions but for good reason! I couldn't get my size shoes in the Manolo shop on 54th street so went to Barneys, then Bergdorf. In Bergdorf not only did I have fun with the rich old ladies who take their dogs out in plush pushchairs to shop, but I encountered the only straight guy in the store. If it has been an episode of SATC, I would have channelled Samantha and had fun in the store cupboard. Being more like Charlotte, I bought the shoes but it really is the only time I have ever flirted with a sales assistant and the only time I didn't get a card -shame!


In these times of doom and gloom I decided to create my shrine of conspicuous consumption a la NYC, and bow down to such good times!

My New York footwear and bag purchases. I realised I left my half insole in my Manolo!