We see tartan, or Scottish “plaid” every year and this season is no exception. It’s trending a little more at the moment because of the strong ‘80’s revival and, for the most part, I’m enjoying the vogue.

I adore tartan skirts, scarves and shoes. I’d love to get a funky red tartan pencil skirt to wear with my biker jackets but haven’t found one yet. I like some tartan dresses, and also quite like the idea of tartan skinnies. Tartan coats and jackets can be fun and daring if the cut and colours are flattering.

But I’m not into tartan blouses, or button-down shirts. They bring back bad teenage memories of shoulder pads, dreadful frills, lurex thread and barn dances. If tartan tops in the 80’s weren’t bad enough, they continued to be one of my dreadful looks through the early ‘90’s when I sported the grunge vibe with an oversized tartan shirt and Doc Martens. It’s a look I can’t do again.

Tasteful tartan pieces make bold statements, which is probably why I’m attracted to them. Ignore what the magazines say and wear only one tartan piece at a time (the same way you would wear ruffled items and animal print). I’ll give tartan another bash if I find that pencil skirt. Does tartan tickle your fancy?

Jackets, skirts and shoes in tartan appeal to me more than shirts. The latter are too much of a blast from the past.

Accessories are popular in Hong Kong, but there was one in particular that stood out more than I remember from previous trips to the city: the cell phone ornament. It consists of a delicate trinket that’s intricately knotted onto silk thread and looped onto your cell phone. It’s not only decorative, but is also supposed to bring you good fortune.

This is not a new idea – these ornaments have been around almost as long as cell phones themselves. The trinket can represent anything from the sign of your Chinese Zodiac, to Hello Kitty. There’s probably a science devoted to the selection of the most desirable cell phone ornaments, but to me, the offerings seemed random. You name it and we saw it dangling off the end of a cell phone.

The prices are just as varied. All the way from diamond encrusted status symbols that are available from high-end jewelery stores, to playful street market versions that are as cheap as chips. I decided I wanted one of the latter because they looked so cute. My Chinese Zodiac sign is “the dog”, so that’s the ornament I chose. It’s tiny and the detail is impressive. It cost just over a dollar and makes me smile whenever I haul out my phone. I hope I’m a little luckier too.

The Jade Market is one of my favourite places to visit in Hong Kong. This magical market consists of rows and rows of vendors selling jade, pearl and semi-precious stone jewelry and trinkets. Our local friends say it’s a preferred spot for jade bargains. Of particular interest to me of course: the market offers a seemingly endless variety of shell pearls. These are the same durable material as cultured pearls, but at a fraction of the price.

Here is a great explanation from beadshop.com: “The shell pearl is laboratory made from the shell of an oyster. The process of making a shell pearl involves several different stages. The raw material for the base of the pearl is the sea shell, which is coated and polished to the final shape of the pearl. In order to produce a good quality pearl, a key ingredient is what we call a ‘mother of pearl bead’. This element adds weight, value and durability to the pearl.”

During our recent HK trip I took a good friend and client to the Jade Market and we had lots of fun. She was inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker’s long strand of pearls in the recent Sex and the City Movie, so we set out to purchase those as well as a shorter chunkier strand. After a pleasant experience and a successful bargaining strategy, Phoebe was over the moon and wore the long strand of pearls the very next evening out. She looked beautiful.

I was after another short, chunky strand of shell pearls. The vendor barely spoke English, but with sign language, a calculator and lots of warmth, we understood each other perfectly. The vendor sat me down after I’d selected the size of pearl so that I’d be comfortable as she threaded them to the correct length. The process took about 20 minutes. My final price was about US$26. Not bad for pukka manufactured pearls when the faux costume jewelry kind costs US$38 at Anne Taylor.

Shell pearls are the way to go if you can’t afford the cultured kind. They’re weighty and the correct colour. Fake pearls are often flimsy, cheap-looking and an off shade of cream. I’m partial to white pearls, but there were also exquisite black, brown, purple, pink and apricot pearls to choose from. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could order direct from this sweet pearl vendor at the HK Jade market? But then again, there is something to be said for the enchanting one-on-one experience.

The top circumference of your sleek, knee-high boots should be snug around your calves. There shouldn’t be more than a quarter of an inch of space at the top of the boot and that’s pushing it. Wearing long, streamlined boots that don’t fit snuggly against the calf is like wearing a tailored jacket that’s too big on the shoulder. It breaks the look.

It’s a tall order finding a pair of knee-high boots that can be worn both over jeans AND with frocks or skirts. Boots over jeans need to be wider and roomier to comfortably accommodate excess fabric. Some boots inherently have the flexibility to work well in both situations:

• A buckle to adjust calf width: my flat, black riding boots have a magical buckle that’s very handy.
• A front lacing style: knee-high boots that lace-up in front (like 20 eyelet Dr Martens) can be adjusted to achieve perfect fit.
• A slouchy style: slouchy boots are not meant to offer a sleek profile. Their fit is scrunched and roomy all over the leg which makes it work equally well over pants and with skirts.

I see quite a few ill-fitting sleek, knee-high boots around town and it’s a shame because boots are pricey. Please make sure that your boots fit at the calf. It makes all the difference.

The streamlined boots on the left are too loose around the calf and are ill-fitting in my book. The slouchy boots on the right are fine to fit a little wider around the calf area because that’s in keeping with the style.