Provisional dates for London's fashion week are 16-23 September 2007. Fashion weeks tend to be held several months before the season, which gives press and buyers a chance to preview designs in advance.

Now that winter is firmly out of the way, and people are looking ahead to what they will be taking on holiday with them this summer, it’s time to look at what the latest colours and designs are for this season. The most dominant colours this season are ultramarine, apricot, silver and gold, as well as neon tones such as blue, yellow and purple. Combination colours are also high on the agenda, with monochrome black and white prints dominating the trends, and dark navy accompanied by red.

Each country has its own dedicated team of fashion designers that not only lead the way in that country’s trends, but also influence the rest of the world in their style and way of wearing items.

Fashion Weeks are events held by designers or fashion houses to display their latest designs and creations to the world’s media and fashion buyers. Catwalk shows are the mainstays of these weeks which are held around the world and which attract mass attention globally.

In the 21st century the style trends of the fashion industry dominate the world more than they ever did, and control not only the way people dress but also trends in homeware design, makeup fashion and people’s overall attitudes. In the 60s flower power did not only mean flares and tunics, it summed up the whole attitude of a generation, and this is even more prominent today.

Many of us think that fashion applies just the clothes we wear, but in actual fact it can be applied to almost anything we do. Fashion is used to describe a means of expression. The terms "fashionable" and "unfashionable" are used to describe something that does or does not tally with the current popular mode of expression. Fashions can apply to many fields of human activity and thinking, including those such as architecture, music, speech, pastimes, etiquette, politics, and technology, to name but a few.

A model is someone who presents a product, whether this is clothes, makeup or lawnmowers, to increase their marketability and make the products attractive to consumers. Some would describe models as actors, as they have to convey a certain emotion in the photographs or catwalk show they are used in.

Unfortunately every year thousands of young girls are exploited unwittingly by unscrupulous modelling agencies that are only out to make a fast buck. To avoid the pitfalls of these agencies make sure that the one you choose has a good reputation in the industry and amongst fellow models.

Although when working as a model you are fully styled on shoots, including both hair and makeup, it is important to maintain a highly groomed image at all times. This is for a number of reasons; firstly, bad maintenance means that makeup artists and hair stylists have a lot of extra work to do on you before they can prepare the look that is wanted for the shoot. This means time wasted, which is likely to aggravate the client, and make them less likely to work with you in future.

Most people entering the world of modelling are young and impressionable and full of anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately there are many illegitimate agencies and tricksters who pray on this vulnerability and give modelling a bad name.