Short women appear taller in short jackets and large women appear slimmer in tailored jackets.

Almost every coat style is repeated each year. If you really love peacoats, there is probably a designer who has created an updated version.

Houndstooth is back, and you shouldn't fear it. Although the print is large and bold, "houndstooth is a classic," says Loo.

If you're considering a swing coat, buy long gloves to make up for the short sleeves.

Accessories are important for two reasons: one they will keep you warm, two they add gloss. Beanies and berets are the most fashionable hats, and many come with sequins or a lurex weave to add a bit of sparkle. Boots are really the only practical footwear. Ugg do not only produce those furry sand-coloured boots with which we have all become so familiar, but they also do more hardwearing leather versions, still warmly lined with sheepskin.

Women cite a variety of reasons. Some, like Ms. Azizian, hope to head off an argument with a penny-pinching husband or boyfriend. Others feel guilty spending lavishly on themselves, and so they prefer to pay with cash, which is more easily forgotten than a monthly reckoning. A handful say they simply feel a sense of freedom from pulling the wool over their husbands' eyes.

While hard data is difficult to come by, the number of women paying in cash for designer goods has increased in the last several years, according to retail analysts and interviews with 10 upscale boutique owners nationwide and employees for chains like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. "Women buying luxury goods in cash is a fast-growing phenomenon," said Marshal Cohen, an analyst for NPD Group, a market research firm that conducts 45,000 online interviews about consumer habits each week. Mr. Cohen, who interviews as many as 100 shoppers weekly, said women reported paying with cash to disguise purchases as low as $150 and as much as $10,000. "Their answer to why they're doing this is always the same," he said. "Their husbands or boyfriends don't identify with the need to own such pricey items, and cash shopping affords them independence."

Howard Davidowitz, who has studied consumer habits firsthand for decades, said that in the last three years he has seen more cash purchases at luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton and semiluxury chains like Coach. Mr. Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a retail consulting firm, suspects now that $2,000 handbags and $700 shoes are commonplace, more women pay in fresh bills from the A.T.M. to cover their tracks.

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"Women have this fear about their spouse's reaction to their shopping bills," said Amy DiFrisco, who was a witness to cash buying as a personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman for nearly a decade. "Cash lets them avoid that confrontation." As the owner of a clothing boutique, Two Blondes, on the Upper East Side, she continues to see the cash habit. "It was surprising at first, but now it's no big deal," she said.

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Men certainly aren't above treating themselves. But the difference, psychologists say, is that men are more likely to be open about buying an iPod or a $2,500 case of 2003 Château Pavie for their wine cellar, even if it leads to an argument. "In my experience, when men make money, they assume it is theirs," Dr. Potash said. "Women, even if they earn their own money, sometimes feel compelled to ask permission to buy things."

In less than eight minutes, Saks Fifth Avenue sold all 20 special-edition 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL600s in its gift catalog for a cool $160,000 each. Neiman Marcus' 50 limited-edition BMW M6 convertibles sold out in just 92 seconds. The $139,000 price included a four-day trip to the company's factory in Munich.

At Saks Fifth Avenue, box sets of clothing and accessories are big holiday gifts this year - and they're pre-selected by Saks fashion experts. For men, you can buy a set of cufflinks, a pocket handkerchief, and tie that go together; for women, there are box sets of cosmetics with gifts like body lotions and fragrances.

If you have time to look through the racks at Saks, there are pre-selected shirt and silk tie combos, like those from Holliday & Brown (retails for $140), and even pre-packaged undergarment sets, like the "Joy To Couture Boyshort Set" from Juicy Couture (retails for $58.)

"Pre-selected combinations are great," said Andree Corroon, Vice President of Communications at Saks. "You come in, look, and boom, there it is."

In the last few years, bags have become ever more voluminous, and as women have fallen sway to their chunky charms, they have filled them up with necessities. These days many women are as burdened as mail carriers. As a result, reports of shoulder soreness and stiff necks are on the rise and doctors, massage therapists and chiropractors are tailoring treatments for the bag-obsessed.

"In the last year or so, I've been seeing the same kinds of issues with adult women that I'm used to seeing with kids who carry heavy backpacks on one shoulder," said Karen Erickson, a chiropractor who has a private practice on the Upper West Side, and also serves as a spokeswoman for the American Chiropractic Association. "They’re experiencing neck pain — not just while they're carrying their purses, but all the time. A lot of women even get bad headaches." "Lately, when a patient comes in complaining of these symptoms, I walk over and pick up her purse," she added. "Without fail, it weighs a ton."

For the past several months, Robin Ehrlich, the director of the Eastside Massage Therapy Center on the Upper East Side, has observed clients old and new staggering under the weight of huge purses and griping about neck pain. "It's an epidemic," Ms. Ehrlich said. "We're busier than ever before right now and big bags are the reason." A common side effect is that one shoulder becomes slightly higher than the other, she said. "A lot of women talk on their cellphones while they’re carrying these bags, which only intensifies the problem, because in addition to balancing too much weight on one side, they’re lifting the shoulder at the same time."

Ms. Ehrlich recommends weekly massages for the pain. Gentle stretching and warm baths with Epsom salts can help bag abusers, too, she said. But she would never tell a client to ditch her Mulberry Elgin tote. "It's like telling a woman, 'You cannot wear Manolo Blahniks,'" she said. "It's just not realistic."

Note the gaudy colors. The diagonal zipperish scars. The carroty tufts and deceptive "playful" quality. Do not leave this purse alone with your son! Unless you're tired of raising him and would find his death convenient.

The ancient amphibian-freak from 1954's Creature From the Black Lagoon boasts "centuries of passion pent up in his savage heart." Though equally repellent to the touch, this Isabelle Fiore bag ($650) has little to recommend it beyond a "zip-top" and two unsavory pom-poms. Furthermore, the Creature only lashes out in self-defense while the Charm Hobo spent months in a dark basement plotting—actually, the less said about the Charm Hobo the better. We don't want to encourage any more copycat school shootings.

To symbolize the spirit of the collection, Dooney & Bourke has selected actress Emma Roberts, niece of the famed Julia Roberts, as the new face for the upcoming national ad campaign. The campaign is set to debut in the themed "Young Hollywood" issue of Teen Vogue in October. Roberts is best known for starring in the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous and, like her aunt before her, is pursuing a big screen career. She has already been seen in movies such as last spring's Aquamarine and will be the lead in the 2007 release of Nancy Drew. There is no doubt that with her winning smile and bubbly personality, Emma Roberts is a rising star.

As a Dooney & Bourke model, Roberts follows in the footsteps of leading ladies Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan. For the current season, Peter Dooney turned it up a notch by teaming up with Emma Roberts, not only to model the teen collection, but also to lend a hand in designing. Emma spent a day with the Dooney & Bourke design team to create a new limited edition bag bearing her signature style which will debuting in December.

Britney Spears, shopping with a pal at midtown Manhattan's Innovation Luggage. After browsing for less than 10 minutes, the pregnant singer opted for a $219 Boyt Solera upright wheeled suitcase and the $168 matching satchel. "She was really nice," says a store employee. "She was happy and seemed in a good mood."

Nemcova who has graced the cover of renowned magazines and has been the face of a multitude of luxury brands campaigns, looked radiant in the airy yet dramatic portrait hat, which is made of nylon horsehair and spiraled silver lurex braid with pale gray chenille-dot veiling draped around the crown. The retail value for this one-of-a-kind special occasion chapeau is $1,000.00. It can be found at http://www.ebay.com/.

"I am excited to support GREY GOOSE Vodka's dedication to charity by donning this one-of-a-kind hat designed by Eric Javits. This was my first trip to the Kentucky Derby; it was a wonderful experience and I hope to be back," said Nemcova.

This is the second year running that GREY GOOSE, the "World's Best Tasting Vodka," and official sponsor of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), has joined forces with renowned fashion designer Eric Javits to create a chic, sophisticated and unique hat which is worn only at the Kentucky Derby by a celebrity and then sold, with the proceeds going to charity. Jamie-Lynn Sigler wore the exclusive design last year.

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For the second year, critically acclaimed designer, Eric Javits, welcomed the opportunity to bring his brilliant designs and creative energy to the creation of a GREY GOOSE Vodka hat for a good cause. "I spiraled silver grey braid into consecutive rows representing the lanes in which the horses's race. The pouf of dotted veiling represents that moment at which the Geese take flight as well as the burst of energy when the horses leave the gate," explained Javits.

New Orleans regains a chunk of its soul this weekend with the first post-Katrina New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But even those of us who won't be on hand to hear Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello et al, can still celebrate the city's musical heritage and contribute to its recovery in high style.

Enter Hermès. The Paris fashion house has reintroduced its "New Orleans" silk scarf, created in 1996 to honor the birthplace of Creole jazz. The imagery includes places and faces from the city's musical past, with a border of names from Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong.

Hermès will donate 10 percent of proceeds from the sale of each scarf to the New Orleans Carousel Gardens Restoration Project, a recipient recommended to the fashion label by the Louisiana Historical Society.