VV Amore was out and about this week...

Who doesn’t love getting pressures for Christmas? It doesn’t matter how grown up you are, ripping wrapping paper from a mysterious package on Christmas morning reverts everyone to a delighted six year old.

So, imagine the scene, the turkey is in the oven and the kids kids are playing with whatever Santa brought them.

Your loving other half brings you your first glass of festive fizz and asks: “Do you want your present now, darling?”

So how does that make you feel? Does your heart sink as you mentally prepare your oh-how-lovely-you-shouldn’t-have face? Or do you know that your chap will have managed to find exactly what you want this year?

Ideally, our soul-mate, the person we share our lives with, knows instinctively what we want to receive – the size, shape and brand as well. But, unless you are one of the fortunately few, in order for this to happen, you’ll need to help him along.

There are now several versions of wishlists as smartphone apps, websites or attached to certain retailers. These are a great idea, but they would require a conversation along these lines.

“Have you seen the wishlist website, darling?”

“Um. No.”

“You know the site where people list what they want to get for Christmas.”

“No. Um. Right. Now where’s the remote?”

You can see the problem with that. It’s bound to be slightly more effective than the fabled “leave a magazine lying where he can see it” method, but probably not much.

I found that leaving magazines propped in front of Match of the Day didn’t really have the desired effect.

According to an unscientific poll of a few of my friends, the outcome is clear – just tell him. Men aren’t great at taking hints and they rarely notice subtle messages. The only thing for it is to tell him outright.

Be clear about what you want, where he can get it, the colour you prefer and anything else where a decision is required.

On the other hand, make it easier for both of you with a gift voucher. He gets points and you still get retail therapy – perfect.

The benefit of this is twofold. Firstly, when you reply to the Christmas Day question with a “yes dear, I’d love to open my presents” you can be confident you won’t need to fake your delight. And, secondly, that nerve-wracking moment when your other half sweatily worries if you’re going to like what he’s picked for you is gone. He knows he’s got the right thing and everyone can have a merry Christmas.

VV Amore has just introduced gift vouchers.

There was a time when you weren’t properly dressed if your shoes and bag didn’t match exactly. And wearing black shoes with a brown bag – or vice versa – was about the biggest sin you could commit.

You still see shoes on sale next to bags of the same hue. And I’m sure there are some women walking miles of High Street just to find the shoes in the same shade as the bag she’s got with her.

But there’s a danger of too much matchy-matchy. You know the look. It’s either overdone with too much of the identical shade of teal and rose or, in the case of black, brown or navy, just boring.

While looking a little put-together is a good thing, the time for slavish devotion to co-ordination is over.

And it’s not just me who’s saying it, Mary Portas, Queen of Frocks and Shops, says so too. In her Channel 4 series, La Portas bans her sales staff from serving customers who are hunting for the match. I don’t think she’s entirely joking.

Mary’s fabulous shoes, designed for Clarks, speak for themselves. Named after famous Marys (what else?) you can choose from, among others, La Wesley, in animal print and, my favourite, La Magdelene pink combi.

So what do you put with shoes quite so wonderful and bright? I’d say you either tone down the the rest of your outfit with something subtle – but still knockout.

Or give the shoes a run for their money. How about some animal action by teaming La Wesley with our Slouchy Jungle? Perhaps a Cutesy Clutch would sit alongside the Magdelene – all the colours together?

Marvellous Mary can’t put a beautifully shod foot wrong, so we’d best follow her advice. She also says: “Edit your trends. Work with your proportions. Keep it low maintenance.”

And finally: “Don’t buy crap.”

While the other bits of advice might be slightly bewildering, the last one is spot on, especially when it comes to your everyday work-horse your bag. So – within reason – don’t worry about what else you’re going to wear when you invest in a bag that makes you smile.