dressing up capital of the world

You encounter plenty of surreal experiences in this town, but one of my favourites is using sign language to get measured for a dress at a tailors near western market. Since neither of us could converse in each other's language it involved a lot of pointing, drawing and the odd smirk as we attempted to record the inches around my bust. Nope, I wasn't copying the latest little Chloe number, I was getting my costume made for the 7's. Fancy dress is taken pretty seriously here, planning your outfit is a military operation involving weeks of email discussion and hours of trawling the markets of Mongkok. Competition for the best ensemble is rife, I heard rumours at the weekend of the Flintstones getting very hot and bothered about who was in their gang. Revellers here pour about the same time and effort into getting their costume right as most girls do over their wedding dress. That's fine by me, and wouldn't the world be a happier place if all brides looked like Hello Kitty?

cheap shoes

I know what they say, but when a blink and you'll miss it trend like patent pops up you can't blame a girl for heading to the market. Flat peep toes are all over the place this season. They look cute, they're comfy and the peep gives them a slightly sexy edge. Head down to Causeway Bay (not at the weekend if you have a hangover) and head for the market on the corner of Kai Chiv Road and Jardine's Crescent. Go down the alley on the right and it's the third shop along. It's tiny and packed with people but sells a million styles and for HK$79 you can justify splashing out on an entire wall.

who says size is everything....

Button Hole certainly doesn't think so. Perched on the corner of Peel and Elgin in Soho, this wardrobe-come-shop stocks some of the funkiest dresses, jackets and belts around. They change their fashion forward stock regularly so it's always worth popping in. At the moment they are print crazy, the rails are bursting with Pucci inspired silk frocks fighting for space next to shimmery silvery smocks. Peer close and you can see the one in the window, a goldy flecked linen smock with a deep v for HK$1500. Definitely deserving of a detour during happy hour.

metallic mecca

Club Monaco have grasped the metallic trend this season and won't let go. Its worked though, their shorts are just enough sparkle without screaming trashy and their silvery grey cropped jackets rock. They do err on the pricey side but sometimes when a trend is done well its worth the investment as you'll wear it to death for months. New scarves and belts have been shipped in with a metallic touch and they are currently stocking a great range of trousers and shorts. Beware though, the cropped shorts are spinning class skinny...

top tips

Check out Top Tips For Girls, a new website by a UK journalist, giving advice on anything from "how to be happy" to my personal favourite "how to keep a head scarf in place". Essential reading for a true girlie girl.

I tried to go to h&m today...

enough said? I went home for a cup of tea. The queues weaved all the way down Queen's Road Central. It looked empty inside. Nothing like a bit of a huge queue to increase publicity, top that with weeks of advertising all over the MTR stations and beyond, billboards everywhere, trams covered in the logo and you have H&M mayhem.

god bless granny's favourite - m&s

Don't you just love a good M&S purchase? And I don't just mean percy pigs.....I get comments everytime I wear this necklace. It looks fab over t-shirts, grey wintery polo necks and it livens up simple vests. The colour is perfect for spring and its only HK$195. Clothes wise they have been reviving themselves of late, thanks to their Autograph and Limited collections. One top I wore was mistaken for Chloe - hilarious! I still had to whisper where it was really from. They have a fab dress in at the moment in a yummy coral and grey combo and I have got my eye on a delicious white and grey broderie cropped jacket (HK$1000) and a little scarf in this season's colours, a bargainacious way to update your wardrobe. Maybe Granny was right afterall. One tip though - just make sure you grab the dress before it adorns a billion billboards...

if in doubt, shoot over to singers

In Singapore, shopping is a national sport. The entire city feels like a giant shopping mall. A recent trip involved a lot of rummaging around in good old Warehouse. They have some fab silk dresses at the moment, bold prints, black and white tulip print and a green japanese print wrap. They are cut well enough so that they hint at the volume trend without making you look like you're expecting twins. Perfect with leggings, slim trousers, skinny jeans or just sunkissed legs and pumps.

somewhere between gucci and the night market

Hong Kong is a totally fab place to live but sometimes the shopping is just frilly, frothy and designer mad. It's easy to buy designer pieces and mash them together (urrrrr Victoria Beckham).... it's a whole lot harder to find one offs in this crazy town that look just as fabulous.