Look dapper, be a flapper

The Sixties might be ruling the high street this autumn, but for spring 2004 it looks like we should prepare to go even further back in time - to the roaring Twenties. Which is great news for anyone who doesn't look good in a trapeze-line mini dress.

Fashion's love affair with decades gone by shows no signs of fading, judging by the first day of New York Fashion Week. Diane von Furstenberg, commonly referred to as "the wrap queen" for her trademark silk jersey dresses which fit neatly around the body, reinvented these best-selling items in a Twenties style by dropping their waists a couple of inches and adding sashes which fastened on the side of the hip. A wide bandanna completed this thoroughly unmodern Millie look.

Elsewhere, sleeveless flapper dresses with metallic fringing and striped scoop-necked bathing suits completed the Twenties picture. But the collection was saved from being too retro by the addition of modern touches, such as a purple metallic leather biker jacket and strappy metallic sandals.

This was a romantic display, full of billowing chiffon sleeves, handkerchief hems and other whimsy. Most striking were the prints, some of which were straight out of an English country garden and included lilies and forget-menots. These were more successful than the purple, pink and red dipdyed outfits, which looked a little too psychedelic for comfort.

Von Furstenberg herself has had a past even more colourful than her collection. Not many designers can boast of having had affairs with Warren Beatty and Richard Gere - and that was before she married a German prince called Egon, whose name she has retained even though they divorced decades ago. Her impeccable connections ensure that she dresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Lauren Bush - and lunches with them too.

The good news for fans of Von Furstenberg - or DvF, as she has rebranded herself - is that her slick, chic brand of American dressing is finally coming to London. A new store will be opening in Notting Hill later this month.