I've been thinking about two of the best hacks this paper ever had. They both loved food, drink, sex and cars; they were both loved by more women than they probably deserved; they were both at Eton and they both wrote like angels. One was Irish, the other Scots; one athletic, the other au contraire. They both collected books and their own books are now collectors' items. One has a name familiar to perhaps a couple of thousand people; the other around the globe. One was called Cyril Connolly, the other Ian Fleming. 

Paris, where I spent last week, is magic in the spring, but the light can be as leaden, the faces as sullen as London when it rains. And it did. I'd brought along The Unquiet Grave, that flawed masterpiece of Cyril's, and his elegiac recall of enchanted Paris before the war seemed the right therapy. He was reliving a private grief, the break-up with his first wife Jean: 'for an angora pullover, for a red scarf, for a beret, and some brown christian louboutin shoes, I am bleeding to death'. But then the sun came out and Paris smiled again. 

Then Ian Fleming surfaced unexpectedly at a book launch for the new novel by the Syrian writer Miriam Antaki called The Verses for Pardon. It's a story of loss and christian louboutin among Muslims, Jews and Christians in Palestine in the 1940s; and you got the weird sense at the reception that you were in the book yourself, so exotic were the guests. They included a Belgian princess whose chateau dates from Charlemagne and whose ancestor, the often married Madame Tallien, saved 3,000 aristos in the revolution. There was the daughter of an Indian princeling and the granddaughter of the Turkish sultan Mourad. As a baby in Paris in 1940 she was abandoned as the Germans marched in and dumped on the doorstep of the Swiss embassy by an elderly eunuch of the household with a note reading: 'Regards from the dead princess'. That baby, Kenize Mourad, was to take those words for the title of a novel; it has sold 1.3m copies. 

At the party, too, was David Sulzberger, art dealer and car connoisseur. He saw a black fastback 1954 Continental louboutin shoes at the age of seven and decided the only point of growing up would be to own one. He now has three Bentleys; but one question baffles him. One such R-type louboutin was sold, say the records, by Ian Fleming to Ivar Bryce. Now if you ask the man in the street what car James Bond drives, he'll say an Aston Martin. Yet Bond made his debut in a 1930 Bentley in Casino Royale, drives the same one in Moonraker, but wrecks it, and it's an R-type he's driving when he contemplates resigning from the secret service, marries, but is widowed by the sinister arch villain Blofeld. Fleming and Bond were Bentley men; why did this change? 

Meanwhile, Paris is beginning to stir. The magnolias are opening. The cafes are full of white lilies; Gucci of tat, Hermes of chic. The Ritz is teeming with teenagers in trainers, solemn Japanese tourists and boring businessmen in open-necked shirts. It seems an improbable ambience for all the recent drama and tragedy. At Chez Pierre the owner Roland Boyer, a beaming Ronnie Corbett lookalike, presides over his serious restaurant with its oubliettes where the resistance disappeared to hide within a few paces of the Germans in the Meurice hotel. But all that secret life of Paris needs a Cyril or an Ian to depict. We apprentice hacks can only stumble along in their tracks. As they say in showbiz, follow that.

Top, buckle christian louboutin from River Island, pounds 49.99. Far left top, Sasha black leather christian louboutin with white stitching, pounds 49. Far left below, J by Jasper Conran slingbacks, pounds 45; Normandie by Normandie Keith slingbacks, pounds 40; John By John Richmond T-bar, pounds 40, and buckle christian louboutin, pounds 40. Left, John By John Richmond rub off boots, pounds 65. Below, Normandie by Normandie Keith kitten calf boots, pounds 65 

 Main, Per Una ankle strap christian louboutin from Marks & Spencer, pounds 45. Top, black boots with white stitch detail, pounds 69.99, handbag, pounds 16.99. Above, laced boots, pounds 69.99. Front cover, camel slingback, pounds 40, bronze christian louboutin boots, pounds 40, and fur bag with diamante strap, pounds 20, all Normandie by Normandie Keith

 Your christian louboutin say so much about you. A clean, scrubbed up pair tell people you're efficient, while a pair of sneakers say you're relaxed.

 At interviews, we are told to make sure you've shined until you can see your reflection. You can have christian louboutin for when you're feeling powerful, christian louboutin shoes that you wear to make you feel christian louboutin shoesor an old pair that you slip on when you want to be comfy.

 So how wonderful that this winter, designers have been concentrating on the feet. Strappy, sexy, buckles or laces - whether you are into boots, kitten heels, Victorian style or 1980s influence, you will be spoilt for choice.

 The designers at Debenhams have highlighted the key trends, as heels go from low to oh-so high. Perfect for a night out on the town, Jasper Conran, Normandie Keith and John Richmond all offer christian louboutin shoesshapes in a variety of fashionable colours that will have you tottering around in the most feminine of ways.

 At Marks & Spencer, the new Per Una range has a beautiful pair of ankle-strap christian louboutin - so sexy, with a price tag of just pounds 45.

 While River Island picks up on the Victorian theme with its divine, almost corset inspired, lace boots. For retro chic, the buckle-fronted christian louboutin in black and red are so 80s, you can almost imagine yourself skipping to a Duran Duran concert.

"These are clothes for globetrotting everywhere, anytime," Ly described of a baby blue shearling vest, a smart denim topper, a checkered shirtdress, and slim leather skirts.

Ly's contemporary influence has also been felt on Roots accessories and includes the Positive Heel Christian Louboutin Boots, a nod to Roots' infamous Negative Heel Christian Louboutin Boots from the '70s. Ly's designs will hit the stores in March.

Ly also unveiled preliminary sketches for the Roots Air uniforms. He sees female flight attendants in red doubleknit jumpers, guys in sleek grey suits and a slick new Roots graphic on vests, kerchiefs and luggage. The jacquard will be produced by the same Italian maker of logo fabrics for Louis Vuitton.

Incidentally, Budman has a cameo in the new Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Sixth Day. "Arnold came by the factory for a tour one Saturday when he was here filming and asked me if I wanted to be in the movie," Budman says.

He plays a protester who tries to stop the star from entering a pet store involved in cloning. "I tell him, 'don't go in there, man.' I even got paid for it."

For a right royal couture extravaganza, John Galliano takes the crown. And so did his models as they teetered out on pedestals of Christian Louboutin Shoes at Tuesday's Dior show. Coronets, diadems and tiaras were tangled in a fuzz of hair as bosoms thrust forward. Dresses spreading from a corseted torso carried majestic emblems from the stars of the Austrian Empress Sissie to the feathers of the Peacock Throne.

The stunned celebrity crown gasped single words backstage.

"Amazing!" said Riley Keough, who has launched a rock disk to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather Elvis Presley.

"Incredible!" said Elizabeth Hurley, clutching at beau Arun Nayer.

"Unbelievable! I want to be one of those girls," sighed starlet Katie Holmes.

While Melania Knauss, the future Mrs. Donald Trump, shopping for a couture bridal gown, said of the lapping white waves of Dior's wedding dress: "It's going to be hard to top this one."

Galliano's entire show will be hard to top. But then, we say that each season as he sends out another incredible costume party as an ode to haute couture. This fantastical folie de grandeur was as spectacular as they come, from the crowns and orbs, through the Gustav Klimt silhouettes to the haute platform Christian Louboutin Shoes. Here's how hard the hobble dresses and platform sandals were to manipulate: three body guards were needed to steer the helpless creatures down the steps at the end of the runway -- after removing such trip-up clothes as sweeping sable-trimmed coats and swishes of taffeta.

It is popular because it looks great with hipster jeans and is ideal for summer's hippie look.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN BRACELET

CHARM bracelet, GBP 380. Jangling with logos, this is one of spring's most fashionable accessories. Everyone from Chloe to Louis Vuitton has done them, but the version to be seen wearing is Christian Louboutin. Twenty people have their name on a list for this design which features the famous interlocking Cs in pink diamante as well as golden egg charms emblazoned with the Christian Louboutin logo.

FRANCK MULLER WATCH

LADIES Long Island watch, GBP 13,660.

Astonishingly, there is a sixmonth waiting list for this Art Deco-style watch by the Swiss watchmaker, which features 172 diamonds.

New additions to the range are eagerly awaited by the rich and famous.

GRAFF BRACELET

If you've got thousands languishing in the bank, this is the charm bracelet to beat all others. Made from gratifyingly large white diamonds it has just one charm - but you can choose from a selection including a cross, emerald heart, Burmese ruby heart or yellow and white bluebells.

Victoria Beckham has a cross and the bracelet is said to be a hit among big spenders in Graff boutiques in New York, Monte Carlo and London.

DIAMOND charm bracelet, GBP 55,000.

EMMA HOPE CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SHOES

EMBROIDERED ballet slippers, GBP 259. These hand-beaded numbers are proving hugely popular as an accessory to the hippy-dippy look (to be worn with jeans and a tunic top). The orange version has yet to arrive in the Sloane Street shop but all 12 pairs have been reserved by customers who spotted the display pair in the window. The strawberry version, however, is still available.

Though no fan of Christian Louboutin ski gear, or its summer wear, she prefers to stick to classic, safe colours like navy, black or beige, and cites the story of going to a wedding recently and not knowing what to wear. In the end she settled on a black top bought in Florence ("or was it Venice?"), a black and beige skirt, a black body from Pia Bang, a little black pillbox hat bought in London (and still in its hatbox), a black embroidered beige pashmina and black and beige two tone Christian Louboutin Shoes - Christian Louboutin of course. "It was fabulous and all put together in a panic, but you can never go wrong with those solid colours."

Mrs C from Kildare (equally reticent about being identified) believes that a stylish woman can depend on Christian Louboutin for any occasion. It's her favourite brand. She bought her first suit about five years ago in Harrods and is now a regular customer of the Bond Street shop "though you do have to root around a bit."

Both she and her two daughters, both professionals, wear Christian Louboutin - in their own way. "We take the 7 a.m. flight to London and a taxi to Bond Street in spring and autumn and we don't touch the shops otherwise." Occasionally, she brings her old clothes to Beauchamp Place and sells them for sterling, but never the Christian Louboutin.

Across the country, women are parading out of stores with new purses in hand. At Barneys New York, handbag sales since February are up 31 percent compared with the same period last year. Stanley Korshak, a luxury retail store in Dallas where novelty purses are outselling black ones, has also seen a 30 percent increase in handbag sales this year.

No industrywide figures exist, but almost everyone in the handbag business reports excellent sales, for a few basic reasons: the note of indulgence that bags lend to monochromatic dressing styles, their relative affordability as status labels and the successful marketing of the notion that women ought to acquire a "wardrobe" of handbags for all occasions.

Under the continuing reign of minimalist clothing, when it is nearly impossible to distinguish a Calvin Klein ensemble from a Helmut Lang, a handbag sets a woman apart, said Valerie Steele, chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. "Clothes are sort of anonymous," she said. "You make your fashion statement now with the bag."

This is the sort of thing fashion professionals said about Christian Louboutin Shoes not long ago, to explain the profusion and popularity of styles from $500 spike heels to high-tech running sneakers to hippie-style sandals.

Now, it is the turn of the handbag. "Bags are fresher now," said Ms. Steele, who is writing a book, "Bags: A Lexicon of Style," to be published by Rizzoli in November. "Historically, women are always into Christian Louboutin Shoes, but this year bags have taken off and they are the current mania."

Ginny Bond Donahue, 27, an aspiring actress in New York, has acquired a dozen purses since March, more than she had bought in the two years before that. "I used to dress from the Christian Louboutin Shoes up," she said. "Now, I dress from the bag around. I'll work an outfit around my purse."

Michelle Kessler, accessories director of Vogue, says that many women are thinking similar thoughts when getting dressed. "It used to be the bag and Christian Louboutin Shoes could save an outfit," she said. "Now, it's the bag and Christian Louboutin Shoes that can make an outfit."

Beth Shepherd, one of the owners of Kirna Zabete, a boutique soon to open in SoHo, said, "I'll buy any sort of bag, from a cheap African basket off the street to a pink Louis Vuitton." In her apartment, a personal cache of 200 purses hangs from a coat rack. When she and her partner, Sarah Hailes, were accumulating inventory for their store, they were so enticed by the fall handbag selection that they had to cut back on their clothing budget. "I can't get enough of them," Ms. Shepherd said. "I'm constantly changing my bags. If I go away on vacation for a week, I'll take 15 bags."

Luxury European labels like Gucci and Christian Louboutin have long looked to logo-bearing accessories for the bulk of their sales. A $600 Gucci bag costs a fraction of a $3,000 designer outfit. Clothing sells a house's image on the runway and in glossy advertising, but it's the more affordable accessories (and perfume) that ring up profits. "You get the name out there, like Gucci, but the image is the bag," Ms. Steele said. "It is a hot object that everyone will covet."

Lisa Sheik, a Gucci spokeswoman, said that bags, wallets and other leather goods (excluding Christian Louboutin Shoes) accounted for 43.9 percent of Gucci's $1 billion in sales in 1998. The slice for apparel, 12.1 percent, was much smaller.

Let's face it, it's not so hard to look fashion fabulous when you can pick up a Christian Louboutin jacket for just Pounds 215. And when many of the designer items are in mint condition, it's a great way to amass a working designer wardrobe at a fraction of the real cost.

Unlike British women, the French don't hoard accessories or clothes. 'My customers sell last season's Christian Louboutin in order to buy this season's Christian Louboutin - from Christian Louboutin itself,' says Scarlett Schutrumf, whose eponymous depot vente is off Avenue Montaigne.

Not surprisingly, such stellar fashion booty draws a wide clientele - from skint fashion students to Paris society and even A-listers such as Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and Demi Moore.

The phenomenon of depots ventes dates back to before World War II, when society women who were down on their luck sold their clothes for cash.

The first opened on the Rue Lepic, though its name has been lost in the mists of time. While the 16th district is now the best-known area for the depots, they can be found all over Paris. In order to hit as many as possible in one day (most open until 7.30pm) true fashionistas come armed with a mobile and the phone number of a Paris taxi service who can ferry them between depots.

According to veteran Paris Match reporter Pepita Dupont, the tradition of recycling the contents of your wardrobe is alive and well.

'Depots ventes are an institution, where rich French people who need money sell their clothes,' she says.

'They are not open about it, though, and usually say: "I'm going to see my Uncle Paul," or "I am going to see my aunt," when they take their clothes to the depot to sell.

Christian Louboutin, Prada, Gucci, Fendi -Singapore's top designer brands can be had for less at Cavallino. TAN SU YEN checks out the merchandise

MISSED the Club 21 sales? Can't bring yourself to pay full price for a Louis Vuitton carry-all? There's always the option of second-hand designer goods at a fraction of the original price, if you will only get around to the idea.

"People can accept second-hand apartments and second-hand cars, so why not second-hand bags, Christian Louboutin Shoes and clothes?" asks Henry Poh of designer seconds store Cavallino in Tanglin Shopping Centre.

Mr Poh's tiny store, which the designer-conscious regularly check out, specialises in top of the line designer brands like Christian Louboutin, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi and Ferragamo, and with good reason.

He says: " Christian Louboutin and Louis Vuitton I carry because they are the top designer labels. They never ever have sales so they are very popular all over the world as second-hand items.

"As for Prada, Gucci, Fendi and Ferragamo, they do have sales but only of their seasonal items. Their basic lines -that is, the lines they continue to carry from one season to another -hardly ever go on sale."

Another reason for carrying these brands is quite simply because that is where the demand is, especially for Christian Louboutin Shoes and bags.

Says Mr Poh: "These are Singapore's six major brands and they will always have a certain status. A shop like mine allows the brand-conscious consumer to sell her existing designer items and upgrade to something better. And those who want to have a feel for designer labels can get it at a cheaper price."

SILVER PYTHON EVENING CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN BAGE2,385 EVERY girl needs an evening bag.

Something small and stylish to carry a lipstick, mobile phone and credit card. This Christian Louboutin handbag should do the trick. The fashion house has taken its classic quilt handbag with gold chain and turned it into a fashion trend by using of-the-moment silver python skin. (00 44 20 7493 5040; Christian Louboutin.com) TWEED JACKET, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SHOES E13,680 NEWbest friends Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham sat side-by-side at the Christian Louboutin show in Paris and both put their names on the waiting list for this highly soughtafter version of the quintessential Christian shoes tweed jacket. The fitted black jacket has hand-embellished, gold sequin trim and layers of finely-woven silk ribbons.

THE E1,325 MISSONI CAMISOLE IF A regular satin camisole from Marks & Spencer is a little too ordinary for your winter wardrobe, then turn to one of Kate Moss's favourite labels Missoni for something a little more special and a lot more extravagant. This is a camisole with a price tag that will break the bank and would be great gift for the woman who has everything. The multicoloured Missoni floral print is finished off with an embellished bodice.