Burgundy mules with asymmetric strap (sizes 3-8), pounds 195, Gina, 19 Sloane Street, London SW1. Enquiries: 0171 235 2932
Above: red velvet-trimmed V-neck jumper (sizes SM/ML), pounds 39.99, Kookai, as before. Black embroidered skirt (sizes 8-16), pounds 24.99, Oasis, 292 Regent Street, London W1, and 10 Clayton Square, Liverpool Enquiries: 01865 881986. But underneath the changing headlines, it’s basically the same: being able to throw together different fabrics, periods and patterns; mixing satins with wool, tweeds with lace. But although it is an excuse to relax conventional “what goes with what” rules, you can get it wrong: it can look too “tried at”, the look can be too “busy” or you could just pick truly disgusting clothes. If in doubt, contact the Chinese Embassy at 49-51 Portland Place, London W1N 3AH.informationThe HKTA offers friendly service and tons of free information.

They have one office in the airport (open 8am-10pm) and a couple more downtown, including one in the Star Ferry Terminal in Tsimshatsui, Kowloon. In Britain, they can be contacted on 0171-930 4775, or http:// www.hkta . Well I am pleased to have this double-page spread back So much more room for the pictures to breathe… The Nineties, with their much more relaxed approach to fashion, spawned a great look, which, over the years, has been updated and given new labels: thrift-shop chic, eclectic, antique. China Travel Service (0171-836 9911) sometimes has good deals, as do mainstream operators such as Hayes and Jarvis (0181- 748 5050). Otherwise a good option is to stop over in Hong Kong while flying somewhere else.CurrencyThe Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar at about HK$8 to US$1, or HK$12-13 to pounds 1.

All currencies can be freely exchanged at all hours, though be wary along Nathan Road in Tsimshatsui.VisasVisas are not required for British citizens, or indeed for citizens of most countries. Kuoni (01306 742000), for example, are offering five nights at the Metropole Hotel, Kowloon, based on two adults sharing, for pounds 599 per person, plus taxes, for October/November. English is widely used in public signs and menus, but don’t expect taxi drivers to speak it.Deals/packagesPrices for short breaks can get quite low outside peak season. Jan Morris’s Hong Kong: Epilogue to Empire (Penguin, pounds 8.99) brings to life a whole range of characters from the past 150 years.LanguageCantonese comprises a range of hawking, swooping, roaring noises which few foreigners ever master More’s the pity. Try the Mongkok Computer Centre at the corner of Nelson and Fa Yuen streets. For high-quality China kitsch, visit Shanghai Tang in Pedder Street, Central – buy silk Mao Zedong suits and Deng Xiaoping watches here. For art and antiques, browse at the stands and shops on Hollywood Road, Central.BooksFor an up-to-date view on shenanigans surrounding the handover, go no further than Jonathan Dimbleby’s fascinating The Last Governor (Little Brown, pounds 22.50).