Trends

Retro hats
Bottle-green or black felt Forties hats in the spirit of ’Allo ’Allo at Diane von Furstenberg; grungier and more beat-up at Marc by Marc Jacobs; a harder, military style at Temperley; tweed trilbys with two-metre-long trailing feathers at Carolina Herrera.

The 1920s
Beaded monochromatic dresses with lace panels or inserts. Dress up with tights and sandals for evening, or down with a cardigan and flat riding boots for day. The best ones were at Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti.

Cape coats
OK, OK, we were a little dubious when they hit the catwalks a few seasons back. But now we are converts. Not only are they snuggly and warm (an obvious reason to buy one, though not necessarily for fashion folk), but they also look incredibly chic with pencil or gentle tulip-shape skirts, or with trousers, and will help you to tackle the multilayered look.

Shoulder details
Stiff tulle rosettes on a black Marchesa gown – simply gorgeous – or find them on capelets: a great party cover-up and handy for disguising bingo wings.

Shearling
Ultra-streamlined with a cinched-in waist at Narciso Rodriguez, or in an oversized aviator style at Preen.

Berry shades
From a full-bodied burgundy to the softest mauve, and seen almost everywhere. Cleverly combined with chartreuse/lime, burnt orange and aubergine at Proenza Schouler.

Other things to watch out for
Bracelet sleeves; the back, neck and shoulders as the new erogenous zones; retro floral prints.

Triumphs

Best for wrapping up warmly
Great bombers (minus the fur hoods) at Matthew Williamson; oversized weekend gear at Preen; super-streamlined coats at Calvin Klein, Proenza Schouler, Jonathan Saunders and Derek Lam.

Best for knocking ’em dead
Slinky Grecian goddess gowns at Halston; princess prom chic at Michael Kors; Roaring Twenties tea dresses at Philosophy; kooky and delicious cocktail numbers at Rodarte; bandage dresses at newly relaunched Hervé Léger for those seeking a little va-va-voom.

Best for trousers
High-waisted, elegant and slim-fitting at 3.1 Phillip Lim; wide-leg and perfectly tailored at Preen.

Best for skirts
Floaty and feminine at Vera Wang; modern power dressing at Narcisco Rodriguez; gently flared at Peter Som.

Best show
The outstanding Proenza Schouler collection had us all dreaming of structured shifts with sculpted folds, and wondering whether perhaps we could spread the payment over five credit cards.

Chatter

Where else but at Madonna and Gucci’s fundraiser for Malawi and Unicef could you examine the material girl’s extraordinarily youthful face close up or, like one fashion editor, find yourself in the powder room with just Demi Moore and Salma Hayek, while Ashton Kutcher stood outside with their coats?

Meanwhile, the shrieking and twittering at a table of French Vogue fashion editors, as scenes of children orphaned by Aids in Malawi were screened, had the brand’s global PR director furiously texting the French PR attaché to “shut them up”. “It was in such poor taste,” sighed one British fashion director.

Quote of the week from the Daily News: Joss Stone, on hearing that President Sarkozy and Carla Bruni had wed: “Who? I have no idea who that is. The French President? Well, he’s French. Do it in style. Is he from Paris? I’m sure he is. Congratulations to those who get married.”

What the buyers thought

Averyl Oates, of Harvey Nichols
“I picked up on the revival of 1940s and 1950s vintage – it’s almost flea-market. Then there is the faded ladylike theme: a tweed skirt worn with a mismatched cardigan. Colour is very important, but not head-to-toe like last season. The new message is to play with tones – a red top with a crimson skirt, for example. Berry shades stand out, but there are also autumn-leaf colours (ochres, rusts and greens), and grey is still strong. Oh, and recession dressing: longer dresses indicate a slump.”

Bridget Cosgrave, of Matches
“There has been a big return to tailoring – lots of coats, jackets and nipped-in waists – and skirts are longer. Key colours are blues, shots of greens and hot pinks. There is also plenty of tweed. I adored the Olsen twins’ The Row, full of cashmere T-shirts and high-waisted trousers – things that every girl wants to wear.”