With the couture shows happening now in Paris, it can only mean that the international ready-to-wear collections are perilously close! Whether you’re attending any shows or making notes and wishlists from the comfort of your home computer, there is one essential that editors, buyers and fashion enthusiasts all need – a totally impressive notebook.

In the past we may have visited a high-end stationers – but not this season. Who needs watermarked paper from Bond Street when you have Alber Elbaz’s fabulous illustrated notebooks to clutch to your chest while dashing around looking important.

Alber silhouettes small notebook by Lanvin at Matches, £30

Terry de Havilland's Margaux wedges sandals in pink metalic snakeskin

 ‘It was great when the Matches’ team came to the studio,’ says Liz de Havilland, shoe maestro Terry de Havilland’s right hand woman and missus of 21 years. ‘Matches picked out two of Terry’s all time classic designs; styles that are totally Terry, totally undiluted, in the colours and snakeskins we love.’ 

Those styles are the Luna and the Margaux to be precise.  The Luna, which originally went by the less romantic name of the Multi-patch, is from 1973, and the Margaux, named after model/actress Margaux Hemingway, from 1975. ‘We brought them back in 2005 and they just won’t go away,” jokes Terry.  “We are now in to the fourteenth season with them and they sell and sell.’

We’re sensing a mood for some seriously smile-inducing jewels – well, we all need for a bit of post-Christmas cheer don’t we? And following Warner Bros release of the first images of Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby, we’re taking our lead from Daisy Buchanan.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros

We can expect Carey Mulligan’s drop earrings, deco-inspired designs and a 1920′s more-is-more attitude to be making a sparkly splash for 2012. Royal favourite Kiki McDonough and Dicha Decades earrings have the shoulder dusting styles du jour with a nostalgic elegance. Perfect with a little black drop-waist dress for a 20′s-inspired look. We’ve been thinking about what Daisy might like to pile on for an exclusive party over in East Egg…

We caught up with the Swedish-born former model turned fashion-house founder to tell us about his label and what  makes him tick. Jan Ahlgren is available now at Matches.

Jan Ahlgren

Tell us about how your career has evolved through fashion?

It was never my intention to become a model, I don’t think many men grow up dreaming about becoming a model, but I was very lucky to do campaigns for Chanel, Lanvin and lots of big brands. I always had a big interest in design, particularly interior design but then it moved into fashion design. From the experience and knowledge I had gained I wanted to create my label by bringing in an elite team.

Back in November British Vogue asked all budding fashion designers to design a dress made entirely from paper as part of Online Fashion Week. In the weeks that followed over 200 applications were submitted to Facebook and the judging panel that included our very own Ruth Chapman and the Matches team were faced with tough decisions to make.

But there can only be one winner (drum roll please) and a huge congratulations go out to Aina Brence for her dress entitled Lady Like.

The winning dress