Despite the much-discussed economic downturn, these are interesting times for fashion – at the two ends of the spectrum, at least.

Couture – where fashion becomes art, and money is no object – is always exciting, of course. It’s the ultimate: a place where a designer can really explore his or her fantasy to the extreme. It may be true, on one level, that couture is a rich person’s folly but it’s also a designer’s laboratory; home to some of the greatest craftspeople in the world.