EMILIO Pucci was the first member of his family to work in 1,000 years. I love that little fact. Born into a noble Italian dynasty, he only fell into fashion design by accident, yet his bright, geometrically printed clothes went on to epitomise the jet-set lifestyle of the Fifties.

At a time when most clothing was constrictive, along came Emilio with his lightweight, wrinkle-free dresses that you could just sling in a suitcase and be assured they'd travel well. It was low- maintenance glamour for high maintenance women, an ethos still intact today. From Marilyn Monroe to Nicole Kidman, the iconic Pucci print has always been a favourite with icons.

Since Christian Lacroix brought his ebullient charm to Pucci, the label has become hotter than ever. Try buying it in Harrods or Harvey Nichols and you'll be lucky to find a vest-top. No matter that said vest-top is 200, or a cocktail dress almost 1,000 - women still can't get enough of those colourful prints. At the Pucci show in Milan, the benches are lined with cushions, and you should see the bunfight that breaks out between guests trying to grab as many as their scrawny arms can carry. I've seen women bring bin-bags in an attempt to nick the lot.

So it's just as well that Pucci has finally opened a spanking new store on Sloane Street. Finally, we can buy as many Pucci cushions as we want. Hell, we can even buy those dinky little ski boots that Lacroix has done for autumn, plus a windcheater, a hat and a couple of party dresses for good measure. As a gigantic Pucci fan, not even the prospect of Tanya from Footballers' Wives wearing Pucci managed to put me off the label - it merely added to its cachet. Being a man with a mischievous sense of humour, Emilio would have approved.

He would also have approved of the store's opening party, which was quite a bash. What with the thumping music and pulsating patterns - both on the guests and on the walls - champagne was quite unnecessary, as the visual effect served to make one feel quite drunk already. This didn't stop everyone overindulging even more at Sketch, where Emilio's daughter, Laudomia, hosted a private dinner.

Entertainment came courtesy of Fannypack, a girl band from New York, and Tracey Emin, a pissed artist from London. We love them both for being so fun, so colourful and so very, very Pucci.

Step out with a ruby-red pout

THE most fashionable look for evening is a ruby-red pout, as seen at the Narciso Rodriguez show and as practised by dear old Kylie in her new video.

And doesn't Miss Minogue look far more sultry with rouged lips than she ever did with half a tonne of lip gloss on her smackers? At last, the sticky, gluey lipglossed thing is over - and not before time. It never did look classy, plus you were always walking around with crumbs stuck to your mouth that nobody bothered to tell you about.

If you're the sort of woman who works so much that (sigh!) she never has time to go home and get ready for a night out, then get ye to the office loos and put red lipstick on for instant evening glamour. Image Rose by Chanel (14) is a particularly lovely shade, as is Liza by Mac (11), though it has the misfortune of being named after Liza Minnelli, who took time out from chasing David Gest around their apartment to front Mac's campaign.

BORED of tiny knickers? Think thongs are about as comfortable as haemorrhoids? Then here's the perfect solution: Y-fronts for women. I discovered them in Topshop's new lingerie department, and I adore them for their colourful patchwork aspect, which, if I were being pretentious, I would say reminds me of the earlier work of Nicholas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga. Yes, even your pants have to have fashionable references in this game. By Wally Loves R, 7.50, enquiries: 0800 731 8284.

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