The Dictator | How to wear a '70s A-line skirt, and pussy-bow blouse

Ask yourself this, "Do I look like Alexa Chung?" If, by some miracle, you are impossibly skinny and beautiful, then by all means go ahead with your DIY job. Better still, get the Gove skirt in black suede with front buttons from the AG Adriano Goldschmied x Alexa Chung collection (HK$5,806; www.revolveclothing.com; or try the Kety skirt in denim (HK$1,382). Amazingly, you've awkwardly stumbled into a new trend. Designers seem to be moving backwards through time, from their obsession with 70s-style A-line midis to 60s-inspired A-line minis for autumn. The question is, how short will you go? JW Anderson's Mod mini skirt in thick black wool with front flap pockets (HK$4,499) will look fab with tights, boots and a turtleneck, but you'll have to wait for, or travel to, cold weather to wear it. Our choice bucks both trends in favour of flattering cuts; Céline's new skirts (HK$9,100 to HK$16,000) reach below the knee, but stop short of that difficult mid-calf area, and are beautifully cut with simple tailoring, one with a side split and contrasting white buttons, and one with a zip that runs the vertical length of the skirt, with a giant round hoop in place of the normal zip tab. Based on street fashion photos, though, I wouldn't toss that midi just yet.