New York, New York

Fashion writer Jude Hathaway had a chance to browse the fashion racks and reflect on fashion generally on a visit to New York amd Washington DC last month.

Barney's, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue - the words take on a rap-like rhythm and in the town where hip-hop was born, these iconic department stores draw shoppers, browsers and the curious from around the world.

Fashion clout is one of their shared drawcards.

And for fashion followers, there's a fair chance of overdosing given the extraordinary selection of designer collections that each store stocks.

The displays reach out into the distance of their huge floorspaces.

Gleaming signs announce each collection.

They're all there: Chanel, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Versace, Jill Stewart, Jill Sander, Marnie, Caroline Herrera.

Junya Watanabe, Dries van Noten, Jean Paul Gaultier, Calvin Klein and the rest.

Young upstarts such as the label with the intriguing name "Boy.

By Band Of Outsiders" show the necessary depth that puts them among the giants.

The evening wear entrances.

It covers the spectrum of restrained '50s femininity through to the gloriously lavish.

Each store has ushered in fall, or autumn, ranges with gusto.

Tweeds and velvets, colourful florals with feathers or laser-cut leaves for detail are a foil for the pared down and precise silhouettes.

Caped jackets and funnel-collared furs have futuristic nuances.

In Barneys, we discover a Fendi 24-carat gold-treated chevron mink coat costing $US64,300.

Given that the NZ dollar was worth about US55c that day, we felt a degree of awe.

A Nina Ricci astrakhan jacket at $12,590 is another little gem.

And this is after we've been mesmerised by the array of designer handbags - still big, blowsy, sheen-finished and with copious buckles.

And the footwear, high boots, low boots tricked with studs, buckles or sleekly plain and shoes showing highly elevated platform soles and dizzying high heels. Metallic finishes juxtapose with soft suede and traditional leather; fringing, studs and buckles dress up many styles; stilettos continue to have a place.

And footwear designer extraordinaire Manolo Blahnik reigns supreme.

It's exhilarating, giddying and possibly just a teensy bit sobering for those of us who do not enjoy six-figure incomes.

Visiting these luxury stores with three schoolfriends proves a revelation.

Two have lived in the US for more than 40 years; the other is from Wanaka, so there's a chance some will pick the Kiwi accents.

"So, where are you from?" asks a sales consultant in the venerable store Bergdorf Goodman.

"New Zealand."

"Oh, how I'd love to visit New Zealand."

It's a catch cry heard often.