An impulsive three day visit to Venice between Christmas and New Year taught me much about how magical Venice is in any season – and how cold a northern hemisphere winter can be.

Cashmere is the staple at this time – for turtleneck sweaters and scarves to keep the cold from seeping beneath jacket collars.  The humble beanie is the perfect accessory to a cashmere ensemble.  Forget chic caps or stylish soft-brimmed fedoras; only the beanie can be pulled down over exposed ears and snuggle up to a cashmere scarf at the neck. A big thumbs up from me!

Still keen to stand on the open deck of a vaporetto to capture snaps of the winter sights along the Grand Canal, it was surprising how icy cool the air was over water.  But the chill factor was definitely worth it to see one of Venice’s large Christmas trees shining brightly on the forecourt of the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute. This is exactly what I had hoped to see!

As I came to realise even in three days, winter is the perfect time to discover other Venetian gems that aren’t apparent in summer.  One such discovery was the Ristorante ai Barbicani, a short stroll across a canal from Campo Santa Maria Formosa.  The charm of this restaurant was lost on me in the summer without space for al-fresco dining, yet how delightful to enter its warm embrace in winter and enjoy a delicious seafood meal beside a cosy, open wood fire!

Venice’s other winter reveals: an expanse of snow-topped mountains across the lagoon illuminated by a brilliant sunrise that added to Venice’s wintry sparkle; ice-skating in San Polo; Christmas markets, mulled wine and nutella pancakes in San Stefano, and the many twinkling Christmas lights suspended across canals, calles and campos.

What took my breath away was not the cold weather, but the many unexpected and utterly delightful images and experiences of Venice in winter.

I recently read Diane von Furstenberg’s book, The Woman I wanted to be. In this she was honest about her intuitive risk-taking such as developing her brand’s cosmetic and fragrance lines, and her resilience when she was confronted by the need to change.  Full credit goes to her who, when starting over and reintroducing her brand at the age of 50, declared ‘beginning again made me feel young and fearless...’

Her most recent change was to hand over the reins of her brand’s artistic endeavours to Scottish designer, Jonathan Saunders.

Saunders has reincarnated the iconic wrap dress through incorporating asymmetrical and bias cut treatments. This styling, together with midi and floor length options, has elongated the silhouette and shifted the traditional emphasis from the wrapped waist.

He has used clever piping detail to infer a wrapping mechanism for example in the Bournier Acid Yellow Bias Midi Dress. He takes the piping from the neckline and follows the asymmetrical line across and down the body, and again from the side of the waist as if gracefully encircling the silhouette.

Saunders has endowed a measure of resilience into the wrap dress that matches that of the brand’s eponymous creator.  I can’t wait to see what they both have in store for us next.

It’s easy for us to apply our make-up as a matter of habit most mornings, repeating favourite eye shadow and lip combinations.  But occasionally inspiration can trigger a change.  Inspired by images from New York Fashion Week of models for Jonathan Simkhai’s show, I attempted a change to barely coloured eye-lids and shimmery pale pink lipstick.  Bronzer on the cheeks gave a welcome hint of colour to save a washed-out look.

I may choose to use this combination only on weekends but it was fun to mix it up a bit and try something new.

We can all do with some comfort and style.  It’s true that I begrudge wearing anything but a reasonable high-heeled shoe.

However, the mule appears to be making a comeback of sorts.  It may have been George Bernard Shaw who said, “If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat.”  Or, I would add, in a pair of Stuart Weitzman mules. I love the detail of this design from the luxurious suede, tassels and embossed fabric that contrasts the suede across the toe and defines the shoe’s profile.

These are a must when travelling through airport security – easy to slip off without the hassle of undoing buckles or straps.

I came across this fabulous little store as I wandered around the Venice area of Dorsoduro. The pleasant shop assistant explained that the designer, Michel Letizia, used a technique where the colourful and whimsical patterns are ‘tattooed’ directly on to the wooden platform heels.

I’m glad I’m in Venice for a bit longer as it will give me more time to decide which pair I like best!

Check out the website (www.dueitaliani.it) for their sneaker range.