By Janine Kelso

Calling all fashion lovers! If your wardrobe is in need of an autumn update, there’s no better place to rev it up than with a trip to Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush, with more than 300 shops. I visited the mall last week and was wowed by the hot buys for autumn 2012.

Label lovers can find the latest trends in Westfield’s The Village where you’ll find all manner of luxury lines, from Burberry to Versace, but I made a beeline for the more wallet-friendly shops.

Those in the know are saying that black is back and that it’s time to show your rebellious side by going gothic with studs and crucifix details – or keep it feminine by sticking to velvets, feathers and silk. My top picks included a sumptuous black faux fur coat by Biba at House of Fraser and a rock chick-style studded black bag at Karen Millen.

Also making fashion waves right now are digital prints, with geometric and precision patterns leading the way. I popped into River Island where I found lashings of leopard print and tartan, with stand-out pieces including tartan trousers with black leather-look side panels and black boots with a zebra print heel. Fierce! “Leopard print has been popular for a while and everyone’s wearing lace and black at the moment,” River Island Shop Assistant Loren-Jai told me.

I swung by super-cool bimba & lola where I found a whirl of gorgeous brocades and embroidery, inspired by different cultures. Famed for its edgy designs, this Spanish fashion brand had some particularly gorgeous animal print fur coats and embroidered jackets, as well as scores of lovely leopard print loafers and ballet slippers, making it my favourite shop of the day.

When it comes to footwear, opulence is the order of the day with bejewelled shoes in fashion favour right now: think pointy studs and plenty of bling that will give any outfit instant wow-factor. I sneaked a peek at Dune’s footwear offering and was dazzled by polka dot court shoes embellished with sequins,  heels covered in metal studs, and crystal beaded court shoes for a truly bling-tastic look. There was even a spiked studded toe cap court shoe, which I wouldn’t like to encounter down an alleyway on a dark night!

Preferring to wrap up my tootsies in something cosier in the upcoming chilly months, I checked out UGG Australia, home to what is probably the world’s most famous comfy boot which I was told is like “wearing a teddy bear on your foot” by shop assistant Rudy. My fave shoes were fluffy flip-flops and bejewelled fluffy boots that Rudy said were “inspired by the Queen’s Jubilee and the Royal Wedding”.

And as for men, Reiss appear to have nailed the English gentleman look this season with its stylish suits and range of pocket squares – a handkerchief folded in a special way that’s placed in the breast pocket of a suit. “Old school stuff is coming back and our suits are very James Bond-style,” shop assistant Dewayne told me, working the accessory du jour himself with a fetching pink pocket hankie dashingly peeping out of the breast pocket of his dark blue suit jacket.

So if your wardrobe needs a refresh, head to Westfield London – or Westfield Stratford City if you’re based nearer East London – and you’ll be hot to trot!

Janine was a guest of Westfield

You’ll see work by well-known names such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons, as well as some of Japan’s most adventurous up-and-coming designers. I went along this morning for a sneak preview.

The outfits on show range from minimalist black-and-white smocks, to intricate origami dresses, and stunning clothes made from bright red, seamless tubing.

While some of the creations are totally wearable, others could only be worn by the likes of Lady Gaga. Eating, sitting down or going to the loo in some of the more elaborate clothes would be out of the question.

One outfit had a built-in parasol, one had a face-covering black mask, one featured a huge cushioned bustle, and one consisted of head-to-toe tartan (including a stuffed tartan elephant in place of the sporran).

I’m not sure how much of this will end up on the high street, but the designers’ creativity and skill is impressive and the show is definitely worth a visit.

Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion is at Barbican Art Gallery from 15 October to 6 February www.barbican.org.uk

Swishing (clothes swapping) is becoming more and more popular. It’s hardly surprising – even in this age of austerity most of us still quite fancy a new outfit from time to time and swishing is environmentally friendly too. With swishing, your trash (unwanted clothes) really could be someone else’s treasure (perfect top/jeans/dress).

But I’m a bit behind on the swishing trend and had never attempted it before. So this week I went to The Big Swish at The Long Acre in Covent Garden to see what I could get for in exchange for a dress I bought in the Next sale (which was nice but didn’t actually fit me).

Step one of the swish involves checking in your old clothes. Everything needs to be in good condition – this is not a place to dump tatty old clothes. At The Big Swish, there was a simple system of one stamp for each item you brought with you. I’m reliably informed that some swishes will give you more or less credit on different items (designer would be worth more for example).

Step two was to relax for an hour while they sorted through all the clothes and hung them up.

Step three involved queuing and a countdown to the start of the swish.

Step four – chaos! Swishing reminded me of sale shopping – there was lots of frantic grabbing of clothes and not much room to breathe! But there were also lots of smiles and happy shrieks as swishers found pieces they loved.

I didn’t make any amazing finds myself but I did pick up a dress in exchange for the one I brought with me. I think the best part of the swish for me was seeing someone take that dress off to a new (hopefully well-fitting) home.

Swishing Tips

• If you see something you like, grab it – you can always take it to one side to check it over later – swishing is not for the hesitant
• Don’t turn up with an oversize handbag (as I did). You need both hands free to rifle through the rails and no extra bags to weigh you down!
• If you can’t find anything you like, look for items you can swap at a future swish

Visit www.swishing.org for upcoming swishing events