When John Galliano announced that his latest women's collection was inspired by Caravaggio, the bad boy of 17th century painting, I was not surprised. It has long been my belief that, in another age, Galliano, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld and others like them would have been the Caravaggios and Da Vincis of their era. Many of the most creative talents in the world now gravitate to the fashion industry in pursuit of glamour, fame and money.
The art world of the 18th century was dominated by wealthy patrons who funded artists and, to a degree, dictated what they put on canvas - don't for a second think all the gold and aquamarine in some work of the period was the artist's choice. Many patrons specified the exact amount of these colours so the painting would function as a symbol of their wealth as much as a work of art.
To a degree, not much has changed. The luxury brands have brought in the maestros of the fashion world, providing them with space to create beautiful and inspiring clothes, preferably with suitably luxurious adornments that speak of money as much as style.
This creates a wonderful opportunity for those who buy fashionable clothes. The allure of the fashion industry has drawn in the talent, the industry's means has provided the money and the intense competition among the big brands has generated a diversity of styles, colours and fabrics that is quite stunning.
It can also be bewildering, which is where we come in. In the past two months my staff and I have been looking at thousands of looks from hundreds of designers to decide which would be featured in our bi-annual women's fashion issue. Even then we had to select again because the magazine does not have enough pages to show every gorgeous outfit we found.
What we feature is what we believe to be the best of the best. There are the eye-popping designs of Kirrily Johnston, the sizzling sensuality of Donna Karan's new collection and fabulous chiffons from Jean-Paul Gaultier, Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana, Boss and Versace.
