Too cool for school

For a touch of nostalgia, the newly re-released Dr Martens leather satchel is hard to beat. The fact that it's so Alexa Chung may or may not put you off, but one thing's for sure, it's a whole lot cheaper (£125) than the Mulberry bag named after her, as well as being rather refreshingly old-school. There are only 350 made across five colours – cherry-red (above), black, white, green and navy. If you buy online, next-day delivery is free (over £50). Practical, roomy and even better when battered around a bit. Stickers and graffiti optional.

I admit to having a soft spot for DMs that goes back to my stomping-around teenage years. The chunkier versions in bright reds and yellows may be a bit strong on attitude for those of us over, say, 20 – but then, eye-wateringly bright colours are big on the radar for spring. And there are plenty of less in-your-face alternatives, such as the Pascal boot in grey (£75), below, that look pretty good with a maxi skirt and come into their own when there are inches of snow/mud/rain en route.

Tucker

King of Kings Dress, €169, tuckerwebshop.com

Story of Passion Tie Neck Dress, €169 (was €222), shopbop.com

Purple dress, £81 (down from £270), theoutnet

Blouse, £265, Net-a-porter

Back in 2005, Gaby Basora realised that all the compliments she received about the silk blouses she made herself could kickstart a whole new career. A year later, her blouses were flying off the rails at Barneys New York, and by 2010 she was being stocked in more than 200 top stores around the world. Last September she collaborated with retail giant Target, one of the biggest retailers in the States; previous designers to be involved include Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Sui and Mulberry.

Now stocked everywhere from Net-a-porter to Harvey Nichols, Tucker is clearly one of those labels that's quietly going from strength to strength. So what's all the fuss about?

I first saw Basora's silk blouses and shirt dresses in Seagreen boutique, Dublin, standing out from choice pieces by Paul & Joe, APC and J Brand. It's no surprise to read that Basora admires the prints and textures of Dries van Noten – the vibrancy of her prints, from antique-style florals to bold plaids, brings the brilliant Belgian designer to mind. The light yet sensuous silk blouses and tunic dresses have a simple elegance and insouciance, and seem right in tune with the Isabel Marant/L'Agence/Acne mood of the moment. Because the silk is the perfect weight and texture, each dress is neither flimsy nor transparent but has an unfussy effortlessness about it.

Her collections are pared down, consisting of a few carefully edited shapes that work, described simply as the tunic; the dress; the camisole. The prints, on the other hand, have romantic, rather florid titles such as Elodie's Grand Mere and Winnie's Flapper Floral Dress, hinting at the inspiration behind them. If, like me, you struggle to find the perfect summer dress – something that's light and cool yet ageless (not too girly or revealing), I reckon Basora's are right on the money. They convey an instant relaxed chic, and this cool wearability is what's making this label so desirable right now.

Check out Basora's website – www.tuckerbygabybasora.com – to see more of her collections, with star sale buys including the Vintage Tucker Long tie Dress (€274) in vermillion silk, a bold and brilliant shade that will see you through spring/summer 2011's block colour trend, something that even the most committed black-wearers among us are going to find it hard to resist.

Going Underground

Espresso cups and saucers, £32.99, London Transport Museum shop

I got a perfect Christmas present this year: my very thoughtful brother bought me a huge bag of Colombian coffee beans from Monmouth Coffee Stores, together with this box of espresso cups and saucers. I was seriously chuffed, and am happily spending January wired to the moon while everyone around me detoxes. The cups are from the London Transport Museum shop, which is full of great quirky gifts.

It's a weirdly compelling shop. You can order a sofa covered in the fabric used on Underground trains – they look better than they sound – or buy a striking London Underground film map, which has the usual station names replaced by film titles (below, £9.95). There's also everything from mugs bearing the name of your favourite Underground station – should you have one – to a shopping bag (£9.99) designed by Ella Doran which pays tribute to the number 38 bus.

Love 38 bag by Ella Doran, £9.99

Apart from the coffee stakes, here are some other good things about 2011 so far...

Reading Skippy Dies, and Justine Picardie's biography of Chanel. Watching The King's Speech and looking forward to Black Swan.

Booking ahead: to see Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss star in Children's Hour at The Comedy Theatre, London. Then there's Derek Jacobi in the Donmar Warehouse production of King Lear, and Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. Both Lear and Frank are courtesy of the magnificent National Theatre Live, which brings London's best theatre productions to your local cinema. I know, I sound like their PR person, but I think it's brilliant the way they are making theatre accessible like this.

Staying (in my dreams): at the brand-new St Pancras Renaissance, with its Marcus Wareing dining room; and Fergus Henderson's new hotel in London's Chinatown.

Trying out: sailing in Dun Laoghaire harbour; baking at the brilliant Cake Cafe in Dublin, probably the best cafe in the city.

Great coats

Steve McQueen in The Great Escape

Military felt double-breasted coat, £486 (was £695)

Burberry a/w 2010 campaign

Sales time is when we all go completely TK Maxx, and buy a whole load of stuff we wouldn't normally look twice at, because it's reduced. From designer jeans a size too small (to diet into) and brightly coloured satin dresses for a party (though you'll inevitably leave it in the wardrobe in favour of something black), there are a million mistakes on hangers just waiting to happen. Far better to avoid the over-crowded rails entirely and invest in a great coat, for now, for next winter and for many years beyond.

I've written about Burberry's coats before (see post of 7 June 2010: http://assarahseesit.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-hard-to-beat-burberry.html), because this last season's collection has been such a stormer. Military is a look that returns time and time again as autumn approaches, either in subtle details or, as in Burberry's case, with a full-on battle cry.

Watching The Great Escape in the quiet days after Christmas was like seeing Burberry's autumn/winter collection in action, from the felt greatcoats to the aviator jackets (see film still, below) and, of course, the classic pea coat that looks so dashing on Steve McQueen (as do most things, to be fair).

There are some good reductions in the sale online, such as this greatcoat at £525 down from £750. Still a hefty investment, then, but one that will endure from this winter on.

Wool military coat, £525 (was £750)

Stills from The Great Escape

Jean genies

There are some good sales on already, and best of all you don't need to trudge out in the snow to browse them. Trilogy (great website by the way) has some top jeans on sale – usually in sales you'll only find the really duff shapes and odd colours discounted, but here you'll find the best J Brand skinnies (for example, black skinny jeans, above, at £125 down from £170). My-wardrobe also has some good jeans discounts, and so does Matches (eg high-rise grey skinny jeans, below, £135 down from £195).

Maybe you're keen to follow trends and go with flares in the new year. J Brand tend to lead the way in jeans shapes right now, and the word is that their Love Story flares are the look of the summer. For me, flares are a flash in the pan trend that won't last more than a few months. They might look cool on, say, the Olsen twins, a flattering, laidback look paired with a white T-shirt and a Starbucks – but they live in sunny LA. But here, who who wants trousers that drag through the rain/mud/snow? I've tried Hudson flares and the truth is that all that fabric flapping around is kind of annoying. They absorb all sorts of stuff from the pavement, but you can't roll them up out of the way. They only look good with a very neat silhouette on the top, such as a fitted T-shirt or top – otherwise everything just looks too big. And they make cycling positively dangerous. Skinny jeans have taken the high street by storm as they not only look slick and neat, but they don't trail and get ripped round the edges like long bootcuts or looser styles. Besides, the only reason flares are being plugged is that designers always head for the direct opposite, and for seasons now it's been about the rock-chick, sprayed-on trousers, thanks to labels like Balenciaga and Isabel Marant with her bold red biker numbers. Maybe it's just that they're too 70s for me, bringing back lurid memories of maroon, cord and velour.

What do you reckon? Skinnies all the way, or are flares worth a go?

Coming in from the cold: Reiss

Reiss has been looking a little tired for a while now, to me. The clothes are a bit officey, and the prices a bit high, especially when compared with the store's hipper high-street neighbour, Whistles. For winter, though, there are a few pieces that stand out and I reckon it might be time for another look.

For Wang-esque stripes, there's a black and grey jersey dress at £71, reduced from £89. The white crochet lace dress (£195) gives a nod to Erdem (though, it has to be said, not many people can carry off a dinky little white dress like this without looking like an overgrown cake decoration). More sophisticated is the Katerina silk dress, above (£195), available in black or a ravishing 'pacific blue', an elegant and flattering floor-length gown that would look super-glam for a New Year's Eve party, maybe paired with a tuxedo jacket or a dramatic choker. The sleek Cristal (£159) fitted dress and the Elizabeth fisherman rib jumper (£125) stand out too as chic wardrobe additions. There is 20% off certain lines online at the moment.

Craving cashmere

Cashmere dress, £315, Chinti and Parker at Net-a-porter

Cashmere v-neck, £159, Celtic Sheepskin

Long cashmere socks, £35, Celtic Sheepskin

When there's a thick layer of snow on the ground, cashmere comes into its own. Whether it's a long pair of gloves (preferably by Brora) or a full-on cashmere dress, cashmere adds a little style to your layers and makes you feel less like an overgrown yeti. It's a wardrobe staple that will look good year after year if you look after it (and don't shrink it in the wash like I have...).

On the high street, Cos are doing a great cashmere hat for £25 and matching scarf for £50. Marks and Spencer are always a safe bet for decent cashmere. Their cashmere harem trousers make for fun lounging gear (£99), and they also have good value V-necks (search the men's section as they tend to be larger), an attractive beaded top and some good scarves too including this striped one at £29.50.

Cashmere crew-neck, £243 (was £541), Rick Owens at theOutnet

At the higher end, theOutnet has a pile of reduced-price cashmere by names like Rick Owens and Vanessa Bruno, such as the crew-neck cashmere jumper above.

Check out Net-a-porter for an exclusive range designed by Chinti and Parker, the masters of stylish cashmere, including a very wearable cashmere dress and an oatmeal-coloured cape. I am slightly obsessed with their elbow-patched jumpers (as pictured right, £285): they are the last word in luxury, with an attention to detail that lifts them out of the ordinary. The Breton-stripe cashmere jumpers and striped dress are deeply covetable too.

I also rate Izzy Lane's UK-made cashmere as I've mentioned before – their slouchy V-neck in oatmeal (£175) constantly sells out; it's available in other colours too. Celtic Sheepskin also do a good version, as well as some cheerful long cashmere socks.

Crumpet have a bit of a sale on right now so you can snap up a rather Christmassy sparkly cashmere cardi from £100 (less than half price). Love the over-the-knee socks, too.

Sparkly cashmere cardi, £180 (was £432), Crumpet