Each year the Bavarian capital is host to the leading global marketplace for fabric fashion and trends, Munich Fabric Start. At this trade-only exposition, the world's weavers and accessories specialists come together to display their wares in an event that's widely acknowledged as the starting point of the fashion season. Highly regarded both in Germany and abroad, Munich Fabric Start offers a professional atmosphere for the world's leading garment designers to gather and decide precisely which fabrics and styles will be the next big thing for the coming season. A working environment in which top-of-the-range clothing labels are created, this trade fair could just as easily be dubbed the Munich Fashion Start, as it's where the new season's fashions meet and the threads of global style are sewn together for a new look on the catwalks and high streets of the world.

For any fashionable lady, it's just as necessary to have a keen eye for fabrics as it is to be on top of the latest range of garment fashion and matching accessories. The range of fashion accessories is certainly vast: sunglasses, handbags, sashes, scarves, hats, jewellery and shoes. Depending on the season, there are a number of "must haves" and fashion trends. Furthermore, a certain fashion can take off in a particular city but not in another. London fashions, for instance, are distinctly grittier and hard-edged than Parisian styles, but that's not to promote the merits of one over the other. Every so often Paris fashion is influenced by its cross-Channel counterpart, and more youthful and vibrant fashions are seen in the French capital. However, on the same token, the classical grace and elegance of traditional Paris fashions is seen on the streets of London. The best advice for pursuing a certain look or style is to develop your own sense of style that you're confident to be seen in. Just because an item of clothing originates from a fancy European design house, it doesn't mean that it's of any less value than one produced by local or up-and-coming label, for while brand awareness is important for international fashion, it's not the be all and end all. Personal style is an individual affair - and being confident in what you're wearing is an essential element for promoting a graceful and elegant sense of style.