After a summer of colour blocking, designers are going back to basics with a black-and-white palette for autumn. It's a fail-safe combination. Last spring, Stella McCartney created a bestseller with her black-and-white slimming dresses, and this season Phillip Lim used the contrast to create new effects such as shadowing and trompe-l'oeil on his fitted dresses and sweaters. The combination was also used on Alexander Wang's runway (right) to add a punk edge to his sporty collection. This look suits anyone - whether going for contrasting separates or making things interesting with geometric patterns such as houndstooth. Don't be afraid to experiment with textures; laminated fabrics and mesh add a futuristic vibe, while silk and wool are timeless.

Fine jewellery goes modern with Van Cleef & Arpels' Alhambra Talisman watch (HK$226,000) with its contrasting black satin strap and white mother-of-pearl and diamond face. More casual are Chanel's ultra rings (HK$11,500 to HK$36,000) which can be worn stacked or individually.

Foldable clutches are another big trend - choose this matt white style made from croc leather with black handles (HK$77,300) from Lanvin.