Last year, Marks & Spencer produced a rather sassy day dress. Given wide exposure as part of its mega-expensive advertising campaign, it was a garment that was designed to appeal across several demanding fashion demographics, and was more than usually desirable by present-day M&S standards.

It was Valentino’s signature colour; Vivienne Westwood almost invariably uses it somewhere in each collection (one of her ready-to-wear ranges is called Red Label); the high street’s newest superstar James Lakeland never fails to put at least a half-dozen red pieces into each line; and Alexander McQueen’s autumn 09 collection for Dior, Karl Lagerfeld’s for Chanel and wunderkind Frida Giannini’s for Gucci, all prominently featured red.

Fashion is having a definite trouser moment right now. We may all still be wearing sassy pencil skirts or short skirt-plus-leggings/dress-plus-leggings combos but, trust me, as winter rolls in, trousers will suddenly seem magnetically, irresistibly and rivetingly new. And even if you can resist their allure this season, there is absolutely no doubt that by next spring you will be forced to face up to the challenge of finding the right pair.

There is no equivalent to Pnina Tornai in the UK fashion world; no-one transcends Planet Fashion in quite the same, immensely glamorous — and sometimes vulgar — way that Israel’s number one bridal designer does in her home country.

Vivienne Westwood comes close, being a designer of frocks with “personality”, but Tornai (pictured above), who has recently acquired a dedicated UK shop, is in another league.

It’s the big issue at the beginning of every winter - which coat to buy. After all, in the noughties we know that a coat that is not just about keeping warm, but about looking edgy and fabulous when we step outside on a chilly November morning.

● The 25th annual London Fashion Week began its catwalk schedule last Friday on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, forcing a few US and UK buyers and fashion press to miss out on Saturday’s catwalk schedule as well as several of the A-list parties. Ten years ago, when LFW barely stretched over three days, the JC reported on the anger among industry insiders about the clash, but with a healthy six days of runway shows and a five-day exhibition, no-one was complaining.