The Middle East boasts some of the world's most inspiring and barrier-breaking fashion designers. This comes as no surprise as haute couture is well-loved in the region, with Hermès scarves hanging from Arab women's Birkin bags, the scent of Chanel sitting in their vanity drawer, and their Zuhair Murad sitting ready to wear for any extravagant celebration.

Few things can gain a cult-like following better than a bag. Far from a humble accessory just used to hold your purse and keys, over the decades it’s become a status symbol and a sign of conspicuous consumption.

An It bag isn’t something anyone can have – they tend to be expensive and are highly covetable. Sure, a lot of them are replicated via cheap knock-offs, but it’s all in an attempt to at least look like the real deal.

Tom Ford has officially been elected as chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). It’s a big get for the designer, who is taking over from Diane von Furstenberg.

Women’s Wear Daily reports that reinventing New York Fashion Week, and continuing on with the CFDA’s work of tackling sustainability and diversity, will be top of Ford’s agenda when he assumes the role in June.

Paris Fashion Week has drawn to a close, marking the end of the long sartorial extravaganza that is fashion month.

And what particularly stood out this season was the sheer amount of hats on the catwalk. We can’t remember the last time there was such an influx of them during fashion week. In recent years, designers have seemingly been putting more thought into experimental make-up and statement hairstyles than covering it all up with a big hat.

With our January blues reaching an all-time high, couture week couldn’t have come soon enough to brighten up this bland month.

Haute couture is basically escapism at its finest – some of the most extravagant and beautiful works of art are sent down the catwalk, and it’s easy to lose hours ogling the shows on Instagram.

If you like it when high fashion really indulges in the creative and downright silly, London Fashion Week Men’s is the sartorial event for you.

It almost feels like menswear designers are free from the heavy expectations placed on their womenswear counterparts, so they really let their imaginations run wild.