KEY POINTS:
Fashion can be a tricky business and, in our daily lives many fashion questions arise. Fortunately, they're easily solved. We answer 10 of the toughest questions.
1. How old is too old for a mini-skirt?
This question isn't really about fashion. Because yes, mini-skirts - or at least, a slightly higher hemline - are definitely fashionable.
Nor is it about how fashionable an older woman can be, because she can be as fashionable as she wants.
No, this question is about sex. Because that's what revealing more of your booty is supposedly about. Popular culture tells us that older women shouldn't be as titillating or openly sexual as younger women.
So does the older woman give the fingers to popular culture and wear whatever the hell she likes, or does she stick to the knee-length skirt for fear of offending?
If you're worried that you are too old for a mini-skirt, then the best thing to do is hedge your bets. Raise your hemlines above the knee but don't go so high you need to worry about your knickers showing. Or layer with opaque tights or leggings for a look that's high fashion rather than street corner. Or get sophisticated with your mini, with towering heels and tailored jackets.
As for those older glamouristas who are not too worried about whether they're too old for a mini-skirt, well, you can wear whatever you like.
2. It feels like there's a new It bag or must-have shoe every five minutes. How do I know which one to get?
Get the one you personally like most. It's been a fair few decades since fashion was dictated by a well-manicured handful of individuals in Paris. These days it's all marketing campaigns and celebrity-style icons. Ignore that. Get what you like and can afford.
3. Why does the Devil wear Prada and not Karen Walker?
Because Prada is perennially cool. And designer Miuccia Prada is an incredibly influential woman who sets, rather than follows, trends.
Also, as cinema-goers will know, the devil in question here is the fictional character Miranda Priestley, based on the real editor of American Vogue, the formidable Anna Wintour.
And Wintour probably wouldn't wear Karen Walker because, although Walker is one of this country's best-known brands, in Europe she's still a fairly alternative under-the-radar sort of designer.
At the moment Walker is still the sort of label Vogue's editorial assistants might discover in a small boutique in London. Nevertheless, the Devil's daughter, Bee Shaffer, bought a dress when she was in Wellington for a wedding.
4. How do I wear a smock dress without looking like I'm pregnant?
If you're going to don this winter's most popular silhouette you'll need to make sure you're balanced - as in big on top and skinny on the bottom. Or belted for some definition at the waist.
The cut of your smock and the fabric it's made from is also very important. You'll probably need to try on a few different versions at the shops until you find the one that flatters in all the right places.
5. Is Ugly Betty an accurate representation of the fashion magazine industry?
Partially. While local editorial assistants have similar, if not harder, tasks to do as part of their working lives, the magazine industry here isn't half as glamorous. New Zealand's Ugly Betty's are mostly working in open-plan offices and answering readers' phone calls from readers while sorting out freelancers' invoices.
And the industry here isn't as bitchy. Because it's smaller, most of those working in fashion editorial know each other and are more likely to catch up for a glass of wine than steal clothes from each other's racks.
6. What's the worst fashion crime this winter?
The more democratic followers of fashion out there would probably say that style is subjective and if you feel like you look good then you probably do. It's all about attitude, they'd say.
But in our opinion, three-quarter-length trousers with drawstrings at the bottom will never be nice - or make your legs look longer, or keep you warm.
7. Does anyone actually buy the crazy clothes you see on the runways?
When staging a fashion show the best designers will make what they call signature or showpieces. These are more radical, and sometimes completely over the top, clothes that will get them media attention. They don't usually intend to sell these.
In New Zealand, designers are more likely to put the clothes together in an attention-getting way for a runway show. But they're not actually expecting their customers to wear those diaphanous dresses with nothing but a flesh-coloured G underneath.
So eventually, one of two things happens. In between the showpieces and the sheer dresses there are plenty of very wearable garments. But you may not notice them because you're too busy staring at the crazy rubber ballgowns and fetish masks.
Or else the mad garments will be remade into more wearable shapes modified to suit the everyday shopper.
8. I'd love to rock a high-waisted skirt but I'm worried it's going to emphasise all my wobbly bits?
Your fears are well-grounded. High waists are one of the most difficult of this winter's styles to get into if you're not built like a leggy model. That's because they fit snugly right in the middle of your figure, they show off your chest, your ass, and your legs.
But a high waist can be a really flattering look, especially with jeans, because it elongates your legs no end.
If this look is something that suits you, our fashion editor, Ana MacDonald, recommends any or all of the following. Wear a more fitted top. Add a cropped jacket or cardigan. Wear heels or a wedge with high-waisted pants to make your legs look even longer.
Shop around - designers have done their level best to make this work for the average woman and those who really know how to cut have made some high-waisted numbers that will give even the most well-endowed shopper a chance.
Names like Kate Sylvester, Karen Walker and Mala Brajkovic come to mind.
9. What is the new black this winter?
Well, the most fashionable colours for winter would be the lovely and very wearable shades they call jewel brights - such as ruby red, deep emerald green or midnight purple. Ultra-trendy and youthful are more neon or fluoro versions, including bright pink or green.
None of those are as easily wearable or flattering as good old black. So probably the closest thing would be grey, in particular dark grey. It's everywhere, from knitwear to dresses to tweed looks to grey dresses to tweed looks to grey marl.
10. Is it my imagination or is fashion going faster and faster? More important, how do I keep up?
It's not your imagination. With chainstores like Sussan and Portmans restocking their shelves every two to three weeks in some cases, it can feel like there's a trend emerging every other day.
Rather than getting carried away, getting into debt, or going into a shopping trance to keep up with every single trend, pick the looks you like most and that best suit your figure and personal style.
Work out what might last you more than one season and spend up large on that, say, a pair of perfectly flattering skinny pants; and supplement that with less expensive items and accessories you might want to wear only for the next few months.
