Fashion Plays Dress-Up

Bare midriffs, utility trousers and wife beater vests are officially last season. The public are rebelling against the tyranny of cool to enjoy the fine art of dressing up. Grown-up, proper and polished or elegant chic, is the new fashion movement in full flow. The seeds were planted some time back as men adopted tailored jackets with jeans and women fell head over heels with little tweed lady jackets and round-toed shoes.

For autumn/winter, the 'proper' movement is in evidence everywhere with numerous designers world wide cottoning onto a popular desire for a more elegant and put together style. You could tell things were shifting when those arch-ironists Dolce & Gabbana sent out models in floral print pussycat bow blouses and mincy pencil skirts wrapped with strings of pearls.

Marni, usually a Mecca for Bohos, delivered sober tweeds and slipper satin skirts in shades of blue and stone with little cropped jackets hung with that ladylike essential; brooches and fur tippets. The pussycat bow blouse and pencil skirt - once favourite of your high-school librarian - looks like the quintessential outfit for the new season with numerous versions featured at Moschino, Chloé and Giles Deacon.

Men are dressing up too, with a new repertoire of pieces to play with. Smart suits and shirts, trench and city coats and proper shoes from the likes of Dolce, YSL and Gucci are very in vogue. And rather than look so minimal and basic, there's a real interest in the trimmings. Corsages, tie pins - even cravats - all point to dandyish indulgence.