'Wearing the clothes from the bottom of your wardrobe food chain will make the days feel even more blah than they need to'

Here's something I don't get about modern life: this self-flagellating urge to make January, which is always going to be a bit rubbish, even worse than it has to be. The mania for competitive new year detoxing exiles this month into social Siberia. No one will go to the pub because they're not drinking. They won't go for pizza because they're no-carbing and they won't go to the cinema because it clashes with Pilates. Yes, we over-ate for a month and some of us are now carrying a few extra pounds in iced stollen as a result, but to leap straight from a regime of boxsets and Baileys to one of spirulina and spinning? That's harsh.

And wearing a hair shirt never helped anyone's mood. January is the low-tide mark of our interest in fashion for perfectly sensible reasons. Party dressing is over and new collection fever has yet to kick in, we're broke and it's way too cold and dark to be standing around in underwear at 7am pondering monochrome versus solid primaries. But wearing the clothes from the absolute bottom of your wardrobe food chain – the ones that bump along the bottom of presentable in a twilight existence, kept out of sight of any fun or glamorous occasion – will make the days feel even more blah than they need to.

Let's bring it back to food. Think of it like this: just because you're no longer in the zone where you make pudding at lunchtime and two sauces to go with dinner doesn't mean it has to be all tinned soup. What you need right now is one of those store cupboard weeknight supper recipes Nigel Slater always seems to have up his sleeve. Something featuring leftovers or lentils (ingredients to make you feel virtuous) but with a kick of chilli or spice to bring a little cheer and colour to your day.

The same formula works on your January wardrobe. Take something simple and virtuous – a collared shirt is good, being fashionable, practical and a store cupboard staple you already own. Then you can add fancy trousers or a skirt, which won't make you feel overly dressy but will put a spring in your step. Your only problem now? Finding anyone to go for a drink with.

• Jess wears beaded collar shirt, £165, by Gerard Darel. Skirt, £473, by Bora Aksu. Leopard heels, £119, by Kurt Geiger.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson.

The jousting between stylists and designers for the fashion spoils will be every bit as fierce as the fight for the statuettes

Oscar night glory is not the sole preserve of those who go home with a gold statuette. The names who triumph on the red carpet will also find themselves rewarded with a substantial boost in fame, prestige and earning potential.

Lincoln is currently the bookies' favourite to win the best picture nomination. And yet the odds on director Steven Spielberg or leading man Daniel Day-Lewis being splashed across the front pages of newsstands around the world are considerably longer. That honour is likely to go to whichever actress is deemed to have won the battle for the red carpet.

A fairytale turn on the red carpet can be the moment that turns an actress into a Hollywood player. An idealised image is etched onto the consciousness of a television audience of 39 million people, and a star is born. The huge reach of the Oscars is also an irresistible gamble for fashion designers. On the off-chance of seeing their brand triumph at what has become the world's premier fashion show, designers devote money and the workmanship of their finest seamstresses to producing one-off gowns which may, at the last minute, be left hanging unseen in a hotel room. Meanwhile, for the elite group of Hollywood stylists who advise the A-list, Oscar night represents the ultimate night of power play.

The variety and scope in this year's list of female nominees for best actress presents a challenge to the actresses, stylists and designers hoping to seize the limelight. With best actress hopefuls ranging in age from nine (Quvenzhané Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild) to 85 (Emmanuelle Riva), diversity may be as much a talking point as glamour.

The best dressed field is wide open, with three of the five nominees on the best actress list having form as seriously fashionable red carpet contenders. Naomi Watts, nominated for The Impossible, has recently cast aside the safe, uncontroversially pretty looks for which she was known and begun experimenting with stronger styles. To last week's People's Choice awards she wore a dramatic Alexander McQueen gown that combined a gold sequinned halterneck top, a sheer back section and floor-length black skirt.

Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for Silver Linings Playbook and Jessica Chastain, nominated for Zero Dark Thirty, share the same stylist in Elizabeth Stewart, a former fashion editor for the New York Times magazine. If Stewart dresses both actors for the ceremony, she will be in a position to challenge the supremacy of Rachel Zoe, LA's foremost celebrity stylist, who is currently enjoying a fashion moment as a new Saint Laurent collection lends gold-plated Parisian endorsement to her signature 70s-groupie-luxe style of skinny tailoring and floppy hats. Zoe's client Anne Hathaway is nominated in the supporting actress category for Les Misérables.

Designer names tipped to score highly at this year's ceremony include McQueen and Christian Dior. Since the royal wedding dress rebooted brand image, McQueen has become a blue-chip name for actresses looking for modern glamour. Dior, looking to put the fresh look created by new designer Raf Simons on the all-important red carpet map, have dressed Lawrence for several recent events.

But in the high-stakes glamour game to be played between now and 24 February, nothing is for certain until the very last moment. Two years ago, Lawrence wore a simple red gown by Calvin Klein, which was inspired by a photograph of her in a swimsuit. In preparation for the night, Klein sent a cream muslin version of the dress to Lawrence along with five swatches of near-identical red fabrics for her to choose from. Meanwhile, two other designers – a major Milanese house and an up-and-coming American name – also created bespoke dresses, the Italian gown being a custom-made version of a catwalk dress. Only on the day of the ceremony did Lawrence decide which dress would make the cut.

French luxury conglomerate signs up Scottish designer Christopher Kane's label, with plans for a standalone store

In the ruthlessly unsentimental fashion industry the road from next big thing to the real-life big time is paved with the names of those who never made it. But Christopher Kane, the 30-year-old Scottish star of London fashion week, has defeated the odds with the signing of a deal with French luxury conglomerate PPR which marks safe passage of the first and most perilous stage of the journey from prospect to success.

PPR, which owns Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent and has controlling stakes in Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, has announced the purchase of a 51% stake in Kane, whose designs have been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the investment represents a rapid change of gear for Kane's label. It is currently run by Kane alongside his sister and long-term collaborator Tammy, with 26 employees based out of a Dalston studio. PPR's plans for the label include the opening of a first standalone store, most likely in London in 2014; a secondary or "diffusion" line with a more affordable price point; and expansion in the lucrative accessories sector.

The deal comes after a series of rumours linking the designer to PPR, with Kane's name mentioned as a contender for the design post at Balenciaga, another PPR company, before Alexander Wang was given the job.

The success of Kane's new venture will be closely watched at what is a time of soul-searching for the fashion industry. In the fallout from the Galliano scandal of 2011, there has been criticism of the pressure put on designers working in the luxury industry to meet the ever-increasing demands of a marketplace which has become exponentially wider in global reach while simultaneously faster in turnaround. Both PPR and Kane were keen to emphasise that the deal will not affect the character of the label. "We … have great ambitions for the brand and will enable it to benefit from our expertise and know-how, while providing the space for it to further develop its own creative identity," said François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive of PPR.

In an email to the Guardian, Kane added: "The reason we entered into this partnership deal with PPR is because they champion our creative independence and want to grow the business organically. We have a clear vision of what we want the company to be and PPR will help us realise that." As to what changes the deal would bring in the short term, Kane specified "none at all. It is business as usual. Eventually, Tammy will help more on the creative side as we slowly phase in more management."

Kane, whose current womenswear collection draws on inspiration ranging from Frankenstein to the ornate ironwork found on the bridges in London's Victoria Park, stopped short of ruling out a move from showcasing at London fashion week to an alternative city in the future, but described the capital as "our home and the place we will build our business globally".

Historically, British designers in whom PPR have invested – including Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen – have moved their catwalk shows to Paris fashion week as part of the deal. Kane's ambitions in the fashion world began early. Aged 12, he saved up his pocket money to help his sister Tammy, five years his senior, buy a Versace dress for her school leaving party. At Central Saint Martins his talent was immediately noticed; on winning the Harrods Design award with his final collection, his stretch-lace dresses were given space in the windows of the Knightsbridge store. His fiercely glamorous aesthetic won him a powerful mentor in Donatella Versace, who hired him for a three-year stint designing her diffusion line, Versus.

market. More than a decade later, the no-leather policy remains in place.Kane's next show will take place during London fashion week on 18 February.

Black is always in fashion, but the latest trend is to add a splash of white to freshen things up

Looking effortlessly chic in a white shirt and black trousers requires the classic swan technique: frantic paddling below the surface

Black – edgy, minimal, chic, slimming, solid black – was the hallmark of the fashionista for years. But this fashion shorthand doesn't work any more, because solid black has gone mainstream. Look around a train carriage or a supermarket or a restaurant, and the odds are someone will be wearing solid black – and, unlike 15 years ago, there is no guarantee that the person wearing black will be the best dressed.

Oh, let's get to the point, shall we? What I'm getting at here is this: now that any old riffraff can wear black, how do the tastemakers differentiate themselves from the hoi polloi? Javier Bardem came up with an answer to this one. To make his Bond baddie truly modern, he dyed his hair Hitchcock blond, and the effect was all the darker and more striking for it. A shot of white or cream looks sharper and more surprising now than top-to-toe black.

Black and white is the combination to master for 2013, and the one rule to bear in mind is the need to avoid the obvious. Hardest to make work is a white top worn with black skirt or trousers. We immediately identify this as a work uniform, so if you're going to pull this off as a Look with a capital L, you need to work hard to make it compelling. Looking effortlessly chic in a white shirt and black trousers requires the classic swan technique: frantic paddling below the surface (perfect grooming, accessories, posture) in order to make everything seem serene and elegant.

Much easier is simply to turn the colour combination upside down. A black top with white trousers looks a great deal fancier than the other way around. True, you will have the constant worry about sitting on or leaning against any non-spotless surface – but this is good, because standing ramrod straight rather than slouching at once boosts your look.

I know what you're thinking. Who swaps black trousers for fat-making white ones on a fashion whim, right? Fair enough. Stick with your black trousers, but mix up black and white on top, to avoid being asked for the bill every time you walk through a cafe. And that's it. Colour blocking in black and white is brilliantly simple. Why didn't we think of this before?

• Jess wears shirt, £32, by Littlewoods. Trousers, £125, Jaeger. Heels, £670, by Gina.

Stylist: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson at danirichardson.co.uk using Lancôme.

No newly-crowned homecoming queen, the first lady looks more like woman with her feet firmly under the White House desk

Can clothes express feelings? To paraphrase Barack Obama himself: yes, they can. Inauguration day, like a wedding day or graduation ceremony, is an occasion when the intense emotion of the protagonists and the crowd is constrained by the formality of the occasion. Official portraits often end up a little stiff. The clothes Michelle Obama and her daughters are wearing ensure that joy, warmth and modernity, as well as solemnity and history, radiate from every photograph.

Michelle Obama's coat-dress is by Thom Browne. In the fashion world, Browne's name is most closely associated with the trend for men to wear their trousers cropped or rolled slightly short, with an exposed ankle, a look he pioneered in the middle of last decade and which quickly became ubiquitous among the hipster populations of New York, London and Berlin. Since expanding into womenswear, Browne has retained his maverick approach: a New York fashion week show last year began with suited models climbing out of pinstripe-lined coffins. In other words: Browne isn't a safe, easy choice for a first lady. Oscar de la Renta, he is not.

Few observers will know or care about Browne's edgy credentials, but the use of a man's necktie motif on the fabric sends a clear, snappy message about a no-nonsense and businesslike attitude. For this second-term inauguration, the first lady is dressed less as a newly-crowned homecoming queen and more as a woman who has her feet firmly under the White House desk. There have been reports that she wants to pull focus away from her wardrobe in the second term. Wearing a dress that references the tie – a totem not of fashion but of mens' business attire – is a neat way to silence any snippiness about the first lady playing the fashion plate.

Malia and Sasha prove once again their impeccable grasp of colour coordination. Delphinium blue and violet are complimentary shades without being matchy-matchy. These are a pleasing combination of colours, with visual links with their mother and grandma – Michelle's gloves match Malia's scarf, while Michelle's mother Marian wears an apricot scarf tucked into her camel coat, echoing Sasha's outfit. The overall effect is to create an image of harmony and togetherness without stifling the individuality of any member of the White House family.

Designer Raf Simons' show is the third instalment of the story he wants to tell about Dior

A legendary American fashion designer once said that the secret of his success was that he designed dreams, not dresses. So it was entirely appropriate that while the rest of Paris lay under a thick blanket of snow, the Christian Dior haute couture show took place in a spring garden, with models weaving between boxwood hedges and lush trees.

This was the third major Dior womenswear collection by Raf Simons, who was appointed to the helm of Dior last year. It began with four strapless, full-skirted dresses, distinctively Dior both in silhouette and in their demure femininity. These were followed by two black trouser suits cut in a modern take on the house's signature tailoring. The appliquéd flowers, tulle veiling, hand-painted silks showcased the talents of the haute couture ateliers, while the colour palette – a blue dress highlighted with yellow, an unexpected pair of lime tights – kept a tightly 21st century handle on this fashion fairytale.

Simons's strategy for Dior is a stark contrast to that of his predecessor, John Galliano. The latter's technique for keeping Dior's name in the fashion conversation was to present each collection as a self-contained piece of unmissable fashion theatre. Simons is taking an opposite approach: each collection is a consecutive instalment in the story he wants to tell about Christian Dior. This collection picked up on the floral theme of Simons's first couture show last July, and elaborated on themes developed in the ready-to-wear collection shown last October.

The Dior story, as told by Simons for a modern audience, embraces the fragrant femininity associated with the house, but draws out other themes from the history of the house, which have lapsed from fashion's attention-span-challenged consciousness. Crucially, the architectural lines of the Bar jacket and other key Dior pieces are presented anew. Proportions are cropped and acid colours added, so that the effect is rich in fashion heritage, rather than retro.

The renewed energy around the house of Dior was reflected by a high-powered front row. Sigourney Weaver, Rosamund Pike and Jessica Alba represented Dior's status as a serious red carpet contender, while the presence of Valérie Trierweiler and Bernadette Chirac reflected Dior's iconic cultural status in Paris.

Who wowed the president's guests and who was off-key at Obama's inaugural ball?

Was Jill Biden's fringe Michelle's hairspiration? It can't be easy living in Michelle Obama's shadow, but Dr Biden is no style slouch (no slouch, period. Check those upper arms). Her Vera Wang gown is the perfect shade of blue for her hair, and nails the sophisticated elegance we have come to expect from the Obama White House. The silhouette reminds me a little of the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's classically beautiful Narciso Rodriguez wedding gown.

Alicia Keys was on message: she chose Michael Kors, a favourite designer of Michelle Obama's (Flotus wore a black sequinned boat-neck Kors dress for part of Sunday's celebrations). The full, sparkly skirt looks fabulous swooshing around that piano stool, the long length lends gravitas (sorry), while the open back adds a youthful wink so that Keys doesn't look too staid.

Look on the bright side, Brad: Barack must really like your music, because he didn't invite you for your fashion sense. Country singer Paisley looks – how to put this? – a little out of his depth at this occasion, style-wise. Red tie, white hat, blue guitar: see what he did there! This is patriotic dressing by numbers.

Michelle chose Jason Wu, the same designer she wore in 2009. But this time the dress was red instead of white, and the shape more Grecian goddess than blushing bride. The vibe is more mature, bolder, stronger. Barack looks awesome in a white bow tie. Also, is it just me, or is he looking younger again? (Grey hair excluded.)

Jennifer Hudson's dress is so slinky, it is made for slow dancing. And her shoes, if I'm not very much mistaken, are flying the flag for London style: those are the Dolly, by Charlotte Olympia, the label designed by half-English, half-Brazilian Cordwainers graduate Charlotte Dellal.

Designer dresses two women in identical wedding gowns to make Paris statement in support of same-sex marriage

Barack Obama was not the only prominent figure to advance the gay rights cause this week with his historic reference to Stonewall in his inauguration speech. At another celebrity-studded, hot-ticket event across the Atlantic, the fashion world had its own watershed moment.

Less than 24 hours after the president's call for equality, Karl Lagerfeld subverted the traditions of Paris haute couture by closing the Chanel catwalk show with not one blushing bride, but two, hands clasped and dressed in identical, ravishing wedding gowns.

Lagerfeld said he wanted to signal his support for the controversial French gay marriage law, which has led protesters to take to the streets of Paris. "I don't even understand the debate," said Lagerfeld. "Since 1904 the church and state have been separate."

However, never one to miss an opportunity for maximum controversy, Lagerfeld added that he was "less keen" on gay couples being allowed to adopt children.

The raison d'etre of fashion is to move with the times, as Coco Chanel knew very well. The challenge for Lagerfeld, and all designers of haute couture, is to make the clothes – which only the super-rich can afford – feel pertinent to a wider audience.

Lagerfeld, whose kitsch and cowboy boots belie the sharpest branding brain in the business, made a bold visual statement with a snappy relevance to the news cycle – and one that showcased the superlative dressmaking and embroidery of the Chanel ateliers to boot – giving the collection a life and spirit outside the world of the super-rich.

The wedding-with-a-twist theme was weaved through the Chanel show, for which a forest of trees was transplanted inside the Grand Palais. Dresses in intricate layers of white, simultaneously ragged and sumptuous, were worn with frothy fascinators falling from the hair, half over the face, exposing just one gothically smoky eye; there was perhaps a touch of Miss Havisham here, of her half-arranged veil and her confusing heaps of lace and trinkets.

The fashion story of the collection was in the silhouette, which put the focus squarely on the shoulders. The show opened with Stella Tennant in a white boucle coat dress with epaulettes wrapped horizontally around the upper arms, a little like a beauty queen's sash. Where eveningwear left shoulders bare, the effect – with lace or leather leggings, mussed-up hair and make-up that suggested the morning after the night before – was reminiscent of Madonna in her 1980s pomp, dressed for the dancefloor in oversized T-shirt and leg warmers.

Trees and flowers have been a theme of this week's haute couture shows. The British couturier Nicholas Oakwell last week staged a show in the ballroom at Claridges, where the catwalk was dotted with miniature trees with twisting, willowy branches.

Christian Dior installed a formal garden of hedges for models to stroll between for their show on Monday. Lagerfeld's catwalk vision of an enchanted forest was hinted at in the invitations, which featured a delicate drawing of a leaf. Coco Chanel's favourite flower, the camellia, was the Chanel motif to star in the spotlight this season, handpainted on silk or in trembling, three-dimensional applique.

'Nan shoes' are the type of shoes worn by the royals in the 1960s, that speak of bus stops rather than bedrooms. Jess Cartner-Morley chooses some of her favourites

'The type of court shoes worn by the royal family in the 1960s – and by everyone's nan ever since – are the height of fashion'

Almost every morning for five long years I, and many millions of women like me, have faced a stark choice. We have stood in stockinged feet and wondered: today, do I want to wear flat shoes and so look short and dumpy, or do I want to give myself blisters/an overdraft wearing shoes that make me taller and more elegant but force me to shuffle at half my normal pace until I crack and hail a taxi? It's a vexing choice. I usually end up with a clumsy compromise: heels on my feet, flats stuffed into my bag.

Ever since the sad demise of the kitten heel – a classic case of fashion death by overexposure – there has been a real dearth of shoes with a wearable all-day heel of two or three inches. (By which I don't mean, obviously, that there haven't been any. I mean there haven't been any you or I would be seen dead in. Blisters and overdrafts are tiresome, but one must have standards.)

Well, I have exciting news. 2013 may not have an Olympic Games or an extra bank holiday but it does bring the return of the mid-heeled shoe. For the first time since the heyday of the kitten, the chicest heels are a supremely wearable two inches high. The type of court shoes worn by the royal family in the 1960s – and by everyone's nan ever since – are the height of fashion. (Don't be brainwashed by the ubiquitousness of the mega-heel in recent years. Even a tiny heel has a surprisingly powerful impact on your silhouette, because a heeled shoe not only makes you taller, it improves your posture. This is as true of a mini-heel as it is of a mega one – more so, in fact, since a more modest heel will do more for your posture than a too-high one that throws you off balance.)

Whereas the kitten heel was a cutesy miniature stiletto, the New Nan shoe is neither delicate nor suggestively curvy. The heel is the size and dimensions of a useful-sized lump of cheddar you might find in the door of the fridge – and about as alluring to the opposite sex. This is a shoe that speaks of bus stops, not bedrooms. But to start the day with a spring in your step rather than a spare pair of shoes in your bag is, surely, a great leap for womankind.

• Jess wears jumper, £65, whistles.co.uk. Trousers, £210, by Theory, from net-a-porter.com. Heels, £165, russellandbromley.com.

Stylist: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson at danirichardson.co.uk using Lancôme.

Forget the ubiquitous classic Breton stripe – it's wide stripes that stop us in our tracks. Jess Cartner-Morley pulls a few examples off the shelves

'If visuals had a volume dial, a wide stripe would be a ghetto blast'

Stripes are noisy. If visuals had a volume dial, a wide stripe would be a ghetto blast. You can't ignore them. Hey, no need to take a fashion editor's word for it – you can ask the urban planners, if you like, since the shoutiness of the stripe is the logic behind the zebra crossing. (To be fair, nature got there first: see wasps.)

This spring the stripe is finding its voice all over again. Because over the past few years, something strange has happened to the stripe: the Breton stripe, especially in the classic navy-and-white combo, has become ubiquitous. A garment that was once a strikingly bold utilitarian style statement (see Pablo Picasso) has become a school-run staple. A politely striped T-shirt, probably worn with jeans, boots, ponytail and gilet, is now the recognisable stylish-but-unthreatening uniform worn by models in adverts for hand creams and vacuum cleaners. Somewhere along the way, the sound of the stripe dissolved into white noise.

To refocus our attention, the catwalk has zoomed in on the stripe. Where small-scale stripes have become domesticated, so that the T-shirt now blends in with the soft furnishings, wide stripes retain the power to stop us in our tracks. Which is why I'm dubbing the new broad stripe the Zebra Crossing Stripe. See what I did there?

Stripes were supersized on the catwalk this season, at Marc Jacobs in New York and Jonathan Saunders in London. At Marc Jacobs they were monochrome, in dizzying combinations of horizontal and vertical, giving the show a 60s, Edie Sedgwick, tripped-out feel. At Jonathan Saunders there were blues and burgundies, diagonals and chevrons, lending a retro-sportswear feel.

What doesn't matter this season is whether thick stripes make you look thin, or fat stripes make you look short, or whatever. I mean, obviously, it will still matter to you, but there's no point shopping for this trend with those thoughts uppermost in your mind. Because if that's where your head's at, you'll never get this look right. To get bold stripes right, you've got to think big.

Top, £160, gerarddarel.com. Trousers, £40, asos.com. Heels, £670, gina.com.

• Jess wears top, £160, gerarddarel.com. Trousers, £40, asos.com. Heels, £670, Gina, gina.com.

Stylist: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson using Lancôme.

Orange, unlike pink, is a unisex colour. Jess Cartner-Morley picks out shades and styles that might suit your taste

'Orange is suddenly every catwalk's go-to bright'

Let's be honest: if you're trying to look chic, orange is not the first colour you turn to. That would be black, obviously. Or maybe navy, if you're having a bit of a modern-Parisian moment. Possibly chilli red for feistiness. Or even pale pink or pale blue for high-maintenance chic. But not orange.

Orange is the only colour we routinely use as an aesthetic insult. "She's a bit… orange" is the modern Mitford gal's put-down of someone who has been a little overenthusiastic with the St Tropez– not quite one of us, darling, goes the subtext. And yet the tide of fake-tan orange creeps ever forward. The comedy-bronzed look that is a key identifier of the Towie/MIC tribe may be the butt of our jokes, but that hasn't stopped millions of us embracing fake tan to a lesser degree. We are becoming incrementally more orange. These days, skimmed-milk pallor is a fashion statement rather than a fact of life.

I think it may be precisely because looking orange is still a bit non-U and we are in denial about our feelings on the subject that our secret lust for the colour is being expressed through fashion. Orange is suddenly every catwalk's go-to bright. Pink, which was rather cutting edge for a while, is boring again and orange is where it's at.

Orange, unlike pink, is a unisex colour, so it makes sense that this would happen now, while fashion is having a collared-shirts-and-tailoring, mannish-chic moment. Admittedly, women being the brave pioneers of every fashion front, you'd be hard pressed to find any men wearing orange, except for those required by industry regulations to wear hi-vis jackets, which I don't think we can count. Still, orange works best as a slightly androgynous colour. (A sexy orange cocktail dress is a tricky balancing act to pull off, although that hasn't stopped Donatella Versace over the years.)

What goes with orange? Navy, which adds a welcome touch of chic, is worth a try. But truly, you can't go wrong with black. The Jaffa Cake, after all, is one guilty pleasure you are allowed to own up to.

• Jess wears jumper, £21, by Fearne Cotton for very.co.uk

Jeans, £176, by Frame at net-a-porter.com. Heels, £670, gina.com.

Photograph: David Newby. Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson using Lancôme.

Elegant collection of midi-length kilts and windowpane checks helps singer-turned-designer brush off ex-Spice Girl tag

"Impeccable" was how Natalie Massenet, chair of the British Fashion Council, described Victoria Beckham's autumn-winter 2013 collection at New York fashion week. And impeccable is the right word – not just for the sharp lines of the tailored cashmere coats, elegant tuxedo suits and graphic intarsia knits, but for the masterclass in brand strategy the label has become.

The distinctive sleek, sophisticated, body-conscious dresses of Beckham's early collections have proved to be a mere springboard for a fully formed fashion house that is holding its own at the highest levels.

Great care is taken that every aspect of this label is executed at the highest taste level. The trays of English Breakfast and Japanese popcorn tea, and the Diptyque scent emanating from the candelabras in the New York City public library show venue, set an elegant tone.

With every season in which the assembled fashion industry enjoys the spectacle of Anna Wintour engaged in an amiable front-row chat with David Beckham, another nail is struck in the coffin of the ex-Spice-Girl tag.

Victoria Beckham's customers have a voracious appetite for dresses that allow them to feel they are buying a piece of her lifestyle. (David might not be taking you to dinner at Gordon Ramsay's, but hey, you can wear the dress.) Her challenge is to balance that with the industry's desire for newness, and the need to be seen making a contribution to the wider fashion conversation, which is essential for the label to be seen as a fashion, rather than a celebrity, brand.

For now, Beckham is working this creative tension to her advantage. Where once the models on the catwalk looked like Victoria clones, now they are quite distinct – though this season they were carrying large handbags tucked under their arms, which is how the designer usually holds hers.

This collection was on trend in its emphasis on separates, soft volume, and menswear influences in fabrics and patterns. But Beckham always dresses to look sexy as well as stylish, and this was mirrored in the slim belts that added shape to tunics and the side splits in the midi-length kilt-style skirts.

Backstage after the show, Beckham enthused about the impact of her family's recent move to England. "This is a big collection, hopefully with a strong fashion message, and that reflects me being able to be hands on every minute of the day."

Traditional British fabrics, from windowpane-check wools to Scottish cashmere sweater dresses, were "the influence of coming home – but done in a sexy way," she said.

The DFV founder is currently acting as her own chief designer – and perhaps that's why her New York collection feels almost like a triumphant retrospective

In the accompanying notes to her latest collection, Diane Von Furstenberg says that the archetypal DVF woman "is the rock star and the muse of her own life".

That attitude is the DNA of the DVF brand. Von Furstenberg's life story is a biopic waiting to happen: the self-made millionaire who married into (and then divorced from) German royalty, partied with Andy Warhol at Studio 54, lost her fortune and won it again, got namechecked in a Dolly Parton song (Working Girl) and is still, at 66, having a high old time as a grand dame of New York. Without Von Furstenberg's heritage, the fashion industry might have tired of a brand that riffs endlessly on the theme of the feisty independent woman. The backstory gives it heart.

This season, for the first time in years, Von Furstenberg took her end-of-show bow alone. In recent years, she has walked the catwalk hand in hand with her creative director – Yvan Mispelaere, and before that, Nathan Jenden. Mispelaere left the company five months ago, and has not been replaced. It is understood that Von Furstenberg is now directing the design team herself, without a chief designer between her and the team.

Certainly, this was a collection that referenced the DVF archive with renewed enthusiasm. Whenever the wrap dress, Von Furstenberg's most iconic creation, plays a starring role in a collection it seems to symbolise that she herself is the protagonist of the season's story. And this collection paid homage to the era of DVF's youth: the head-to-toe lipstick and wave prints, swirling maxis, Ossie Clark-esque dresses and heady shades of lipstick, tobacco and turquoise that infuse the collection with the intoxicating glamour of 1970s New York.

Organisers hope exhibition of punk fashion at the Costume Institute has the power to shock – and draw the crowds

At any fashion week worth its salt there comes a pivotal moment when the gauntlet is thrown down with a display of clothes so shocking that they challenge the status quo and forge a new direction for fashion.

At New York fashion week, this moment came not during the presentation of a little-known designer of avant-garde dungarees, but at a press conference in the very heart of the artistic establishment, the Metropolitan Museum.

The event was the launch of the forthcoming exhibition Punk: Chaos to Couture. As Andrew Bolton, curator of the museum's Costume Institute, took to his Upper East Side podium he was flanked on his left by the infamous Two Naked Cowboys T-shirt by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, which caused artist Alan Jones to be arrested for indecency while wearing one walking through Piccadilly Circus in 1975. On Bolton's right was the Versace "safety pin" dress that transformed Liz Hurley into A-list star overnight in 1994.

Punk "prized originality and individuality above all else", said Bolton. The museum's celebration of punk, which opens on 9 May, is notable for arriving in the city at a time when many critics of the New York fashion scene feel it has become polite, commercial and timid – in other words, the very antithesis of punk.

Cathy Horyn, fashion editor of the New York Times, wrote of the city's catwalks that it was "shocking to see the lack of energy and imagination … At a time when the talent in Europe is especially strong – Christopher Kane, Raf Simons at Dior, Phoebe Philo at Céline, to mention a few – the flabbiness of New York is puzzling."

In this context, the punk exhibition will be seen by some as a call to arms for American fashion. Nick Knight, creative consultant on the exhibition, said at the launch that "the visceral power of punk is that it is not about people following what other people are doing, it's about people doing something their own way. If there's a message then that's it: don't wait for someone else to tell you what to do."

The exhibition will feature more than 100 designs that trace how high fashion has "appropriated the brutality" of punk since its origins in the 1970s, said Bolton. Key exhibits include an Alexander McQueen corseted ball gown from 2008, the silk bodice of which is patchworked with fragments of the face of the Queen with a safety pin through her nose, and a 1994 Moschino dress that borrows a strapless, feminine silhouette from 1950s couture but is rendered in black rubbish bags rather than the traditional taffeta.

There is, however, a less maverick explanation of the decision by the Met to take punk as its theme for the annual Costume Institute show. Last year's exhibition, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, closed with a disappointing total attendance of 339,838. The high-concept conceit of that show, which centred around an imagined discourse between two designers who never met, did not translate into box office appeal. The Met, wishing to recapture the momentum that saw record figures of 661,509 visitors to the previous year's Alexander McQueen retrospective, is likely to have been tempted by punk's potential for mass appeal. Sam Gainsbury, creative director of the McQueen show, has been brought back as design consultant for the punk exhibition. "It's an exciting show, because these [punks] are my style heroes. What I hope is that people who come and see the exhibition will be inspired by how brave and how fearless they were."

The attitudes that punk embodied – anti-establishment, anti-privilege, anti-nostalgia – make this exhibition an intriguing fit for the quiet, cerebral and considered environs of the Met. But the exhibition's organisers point out that while the torn, defaced, DIY aesthetic of punk seems at odds with the couture principles of made-to-measure, the two are in fact linked through their belief in the importance of individuality and originality. "Although punk's democracy stands in opposition to fashion's autocracy, designers continue to appropriate punk's aesthetic vocabulary to capture its youthful rebelliousness and aggressive forcefulness," said Bolton. To give the exhibits maximum impact, Knight and Gainsbury are planning an immersive multimedia experience, in which the clothes will be animated with period music videos and audio soundscapes.

As an intriguing aside, the press conference appeared to add weight to a rising sense in the fashion industry that a rehabilitation of John Galliano is in the offing. A parachute-strapped gown, designed by Galliano for Christian Dior in 2006 which references the aesthetic of Malcolm McLaren 30 years earlier was included in the "teaser" exhibits, and Bolton singled out Galliano as a designer "who profoundly understood the essence of punk".

Paradoxically, the impact of the exhibition may not be a renewal of the spirit of anti-nostalgic innovation that the pioneers of punk stood for. "Of course, we're bound to see a massive resurgence in the punk look itself, because of this exhibition," said Knight.

Autumn collection – the first to go on sale in Britain – mixes deep colours with intricate pattern and delicate embellishment

The J Crew formula is to the 21st century American fashion industry what the secret Coca Cola recipe was to the fast-food wars of the last. Everybody loves the taste – but only a few people know the secret, and they're not telling.

J Crew has claimed wardrobe bragging rights over the American zeitgeist to a degree not achieved by any high street store since Gap in the 1990s. (It is no coincidence that Mickey Drexler, who masterminded Gap in its khaki-and-white-shirt heyday, is now CEO of J Crew.) Michelle Obama and her daughters are famous fans, while Anna Wintour describes the brand as "a force to be reckoned with, and anyone who tells you otherwise is insane".

Later this year, J Crew comes to Britain, with a 17,000-sq ft store slated to open in Regent Street, London, the brand's first outside of the US.

The J Crew look – bright colours, jazzy costume jewellery, rich eveningwear textures used in daywear – could not be more different from the Gap look, but the dynamite secret is the same: the label has found a way to make casual clothing aspirational. In America, where folksiness is next to godliness, J Crew's accessible brand of glamour is a winning formula. ("Don't forget to smile. Mickey wants the girls to look friendly," a stylist with a lint roller in his jean pocket could be overheard reminding the models.)

"The colours, the mix and the styling" are how Tom Mora, head of womenswear design, pinpointed the appeal of the label at the New York fashion week presentation of the autumn collection, which will be the first to go on sale in the UK. Colour is key to the J Crew look. (Drexler is said to insist on yellow always being in eyeline when a customer enters the store, not because it sells but because it is a cheerful and eyecatching shade that sets the tone for the shopping experience.)

Purple, burgundy, pink and cobalt dominate for autumn, with rich saturated colour mixed with intricate pattern and delicate embellishment. Mora credits a trip to Marrakech for inspiring the collection: "The deep colours against the desert landscape… stood out in my mind. We created bold prints, used lush fabric textures and intricate beading and applied them to our idea of classic American sportswear."

The mix is a crucial element of J Crew's appeal. At the show, navy cropped trousers with an orange windowpane check were styled with a midnight peacoat slung over a grey cashmere knit, layered over a white shirt with diamante collar. The sparkle of the collar was echoed by silver ankle strap shoes; the lip gloss shade picked out that of the burgundy envelope clutch. The formula of mix-and-match is carefully calibrated for maximum effect, and enhanced with tips borrowed from the modish streetstyle blogs: the messy bun, the statement sunglasses, the shoulder-robed jacket.

The high level of design looks likely to impress British customers. A lilac wool coat combined Donegal tweed with a tonal herringbone used on the sleeves and lapels, the use of two similar fabrics adding a level of interest and texture to make the piece stand out from other high street offerings.

The disgraced designer returned as an intern for the American favourite, and stamped his signature eccentricity across the entire collection

The name on the invite, as the audience took their seats for the most talked-about show of New York fashion week, was Oscar de la Renta – but the name on everyone's lips was John Galliano. Since news broke last month that the 80-year-old godfather of American uptown fashion had invited the disgraced ex-Dior designer for an internship, the industry has been curious to discover whether this was merely a generous gesture, or a mouthwatering creative collaboration between two wildly different designers. The timing of the placement – in the crucial month before fashion week, when a collection is brought to life – was intriguing.

Shortly before the show, news filtered from backstage that Galliano was in situ, working alongside de la Renta. Yet his name did not appear among the 11 design assistants credited on the programme. On a front row that included Diane Von Furstenberg and Valentino, the gossip centred on one question: would Galliano accompany De la Renta on his final bow, acknowledging a degree of authorship of the collection, or would the internship turn out to be a mere footnote in the De la Renta story?

As it turned out, Galliano did not make a catwalk appearance. But then, he didn't need to: by the end of the show, the British designer had, to all intents and purposes, made his comeback. While the show remained recognisably De la Renta, Galliano's handwriting was clearly visible in many elements: from the confident eccentricity and sinuous movement of the jewel-coloured stretch flannel skirt-suits topped with theatrical lampshade-cloche hats, to the liquid slink of a bias-cut velvet gown in poison green. Furthermore, as the show progressed, there were deliberate winks from the hair and makeup team, surely designed to emphasise links with Galliano's past collections: oiled and lacquered 1940s curls, and mouths painted into rosebud Kabuki-kisses of blood-red crimson.

It was a comeback by sleight of hand, and one that would be a feather in the hat of the most highly strategic spin doctor. By making his reappearance at intern level, Galliano has shown a humility which will help smooth his rehabilitation – but under the wing of De la Renta, he has been able to offer his creations at a blue-chip show, without an ugly tussle to persuade the industry to attend his show. The blessing of De la Renta, who this year marks his 50th anniversary designing clothes in New York, has given Galliano a foothold into a world from which his infamous antisemitic drunken rant in a Paris bar had cut him adrift. Crucially, the De la Renta brand, a favourite of first ladies and Hollywood stars, is redolent of two qualities Galliano sorely needs to recover: respectability and class.

But Galliano's comeback was a collaboration, not a coup. The Oscar de la Renta flag flew high throughout the show: in the perfectly judged, immaculately cut sleeves ending slightly above the elbow; the chic cut of skirts hemmed just at the knee; the mink sweaters. The fabulous embellished gowns in sumptuous organzas and tulles embodied De la Renta's distinctive eveningwear style, a kind of Manhattan baroque. Indeed, there was a sense that what made the Galliano elements in this collection sing was that De la Renta, with his innate sense of propriety, imposed an aesthetic structure in which the Galliano madness was never allowed to spiral out of control. There was a nice balance of looseness and restraint; of drama and discipline. After all, as even the most amateur student of psychology will tell you, all of us benefit from us boundaries.

In an interview in the current issue of New York magazine, De la Renta gives an open-ended answer to the question of whether Galliano's placement at the house might be extended. "I would love for him to stay. Will he? I cannot tell you that today. Because we haven't gone that far in really discussing it … So the answer is we don't know. We're still exploring." At 80 years old, the designer is aware there is the delicate issue of an eventual successor in the air. Asked for his feelings on the situation, John Galliano himself told the interviewer simply: "I love it here."