This season's accessories are as bold as the clothes they're designed to complement - more extreme, and even confrontational, than ever before. The "it" factor is achieved by an element of surprise and originality, by the inclusion of something unique - like a wooden heel at Yves Saint Laurent, or primary-coloured plastic mesh on the footwear at Balenciaga. Bags are, for the most part, still oversized, and tooled and ruched to within an inch of their lives, and belts are best when they're as hard as nails.



Only a woman as powerful as Miuccia Prada could persuade the world that a ribbed footless sock is fashionable. But then, the fluffy teddy-bear coats such as paul smith,Abercrombie and Fitch,dsquared etc in curious colours, and the curved-heel shoes they are designed to be worn with have proved something of a talking point, also. This, of course, is only to be expected, and by the time everyone else has caught up, Italy's First Lady of fashion will have moved on.

The Kelly Muff By Hermes

True to pleasingly playful form, Jean Paul Gaultier has, this season, offered his take on the classic Hermes bag: the Kelly muff. Wit may be its outstanding feature, but rest assured, waiting lists will be as long as ever.

The hat By Marc Jacobs

The American favourite Marc Jacobs showed a collection that mixed influences from both the Seventies and the Twenties, and it was the hats that gave the decade away. Combined with pointed-collared shirts and satin tea-dresses, the retro wide-brimmed hats and close- fitting cloches gave a grown-up finish to the collection. Expect to see them on every stylish head this season.

The platforms By John Galliano for Dior

Trust Galliano to take fashion's current love affair with colour and run with it. Amethyst, emerald and fuchsia were all given a new lease of life by gowns fit for a Forties cocktail party. Accessories, meanwhile, came in equally vibrant hues, and feathered headdresses and ladylike bags graced the catwalk. The lace-up, platform-soled ankle boots were the perfect finish to a perfect silhouette.

The satchel By Miu Miu

Unusually, leather was the material of choice for rigid skirt suits in Miu Miu's autumn collection. Echoing the structured forms, handbags at the young Italian label were given a utilitarian edge, with envelope fastenings and long shoulder straps in soft shades of camel and taupe leather. Chloe and Mulberry have also gone with the book-bag style, so it looks as if the satchel is the intelligent choice this season.

The scarf By Giles Deacon

Larger-than-life knits are de rigueur across the board this season, with Stella McCartney, Sonia Rykiel and Burberry all focusing on chunky styles. But the designer with the biggest knitting needles is the London Fashion Week star Giles Deacon, whose giant scarves cocooned models' necks and heads. So, to ensure that your winter wardrobe is on trend, an oversized, simply crafted scarf is the only way to keep warm.

The clumpy boot By Chloe

Paulo Melim Andersson had a tough act to follow, replacing Phoebe Philo as creative director of the Parisian fashion house Chloe. Rather than playing it safe, and continuing with the much-loved romantic and whimsical signature style of the brand, he has turned it on its head and revealed a much harder image. The star accessory is a wedge-heeled boot based on the Doc Marten. Worn half-laced, and gaping around the calf, it screams rebellion.

The gloves By Yves Saint Laurent

What with the delectable wooden-heeled court shoes and ribbed woollen beanies, all of Stefano Pilati's accessories for Yves Saint Laurent are as refined and chic as a girl could wish for. The gloves put the finishing touch to one of this season's most desirable collections. Whether sexily cut off at the wrist or reaching way past the elbow, nobody does them better.

The toy shoe By Balenciaga

Only the truly style-savvy individualist will dare to wear this season's Balenciaga heels. A hybrid of plastic, leather, mesh and studs, the primary-coloured shoes look part-athletic, part- futuristic. Designed to resemble children's toys, according to their creator Nicolas Ghesquiere, they're unlikely to be seen striding across too many office floors any time soon.