1.  Pelt penchant Variety, and not paprika, is the spice of life. If you're in the market for a new bag and want to shake things up and acquire a reputation for being something of a maverick, we'd suggest avoiding calf-skin leather. Neil Barrett's bags are nicely avant garde and we particularly recommend the shiny, fur-covered backpack (right; HK$13,950) and the beige suede Sherpa-style version (left; HK$9,200). Neil Barrett is available at Lane Crawford, IFC Mall, Central, tel: 2118 3388

2.  Shooting stars There was a time, long ago, when basketball shoes were actually worn to play basketball in. Yes, sounds fantastical, but it did really happen. Nowadays, hi-top basketball trainers are all about fashion and to hell with practicality - and, to be honest, we couldn't be happier about it. We're quite fond of Creative Recreations' designer numbers and the Cesario X red suede version (bottom; HK$1,000) caught our eye, as did the Cota white hi-top (top; also HK$1,000), with its nifty crocodile-skin-pattern leather. Creative Recreations is available at 3NITY, Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2730 3669.

3.  Rains supreme It rains a lot in Denmark. Like, a lot - 121 days a year, on average. So it's not really surprising that the Danes are adept at fashioning clothes and tools to keep out the wet. The aptly-named Rains makes rain jackets that are both handy and trendy. We like the yellow and navy hooded jacket (right; HK$780) and the ultra-useful green poncho (left; HK$880). Alas, the Danes haven't yet worked out how to combat the gloomy darkness that befalls their country most of the year. Oh well, can't win them all. Rains is available at Kapok, 3 Sun Street, Wan Chai, tel: 2520 0114.

4.  Chills, chilling, chilled The season of excess is over and it is now time to sober up and get those eyes back on the prize. The New Year is a great excuse to freshen up the wardrobe and you could do a lot worse than get yourself a few things from Alfred Dunhill. We particularly like the winter-ready look of double-breasted navy wool coat (HK$37,495), Alfred Yarn cable-wool roll-neck jumper (HK$7,995), dark grey cashmere and wool-blend trousers (HK$3,500), wool and angora blend scarf (HK$2,250), leather shoes (HK$6,625) and Sherborne leather document case (HK$14,950; all far right). Or consider this throwback, air-force-blue wool, four-pocket caban coat (HK$32,995), combined with the navy merino wool, silk and cashmere blend crew-neck jumper (HK$4,095) and a splash of spontaneity by way of the purple gingham shirt (HK$2,250; all right). Alfred Dunhill is in Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2537 1009.