Rule #7: mix the very feminine with the very masculine

“I don’t think the wool biker jacket [which Roitfeld is wearing] would be nice with a big heavy sweater. It looks too normal. I like something more feminine, I prefer to wear this with silk. I like shiny with matte. I like sport with sophistication.”

Rule #8: borrow your boyfriend’s coats

“Certainly a biker jacket, of course a trench and a tweed coat. The tweed coat is very English. The riding coat is too. There’s a lot of English references in this collection. It’s an homage to England.”

Rule #9: comfort will save every wardrobe crisis

“I’m not immune from opening my wardrobe and wailing, “Oh my God! I have nothing to wear today.” It’s happened to everyone. And you put all of the clothes out on the floor, then finally go back to the thing that you know is going to suit you. It’s always the same sweaters, the same coat that makes you beautiful, especially when you’re very tired and you feel horrible, you need something that makes you feel comfortable.”

Rule #10: never take expensive fashion risks

“If you often find yourself buying things you never wear, don’t take risks. If you want to have fun with fashion, to have a fling with a trend, it’s OK. Sometimes you buy something expensive and you regret it, which is the worst. You don’t know what to do, so you try to sell it online for half the price. It’s happened to everyone, no? I make errors, everyone makes errors. But it’s OK. You can survive.”

Rule #11: nylon and tweed will save you from the chill

“When it’s cold, wear a nylon jacket underneath something tweed. It cuts the wind. I don’t like big heavy things, so this is very small but it keeps you warm and chic in the winter.”

Rule #12: dress for dinner in the morning

“Wear the same outfit from work to dinner; you don’t have to change, you know. Most of the time, I wear skirts. You have to wear a skirt with the same attitude as you do jeans. And most of the time I don’t carry a bag. So we found a solution: pockets everywhere. But I admit, fashion people have a different approach to dressing. In the world of fashion, faux fur is completely normal. My collection is very classic compared to what you see on the runway but for a lot of people this is really surreal, like a cocktail outfit. We live in a special world and we’re very lucky.”

Lesson over, we play dress up. Roitfeld pulls a fake fur bomber over her tweed jacket, eyes herself in the mirror and plays with the fastenings – up, down, flipping the collar – before deciding to shrug it off her shoulders and declare, “This is the look.” It’s how she wears it to that night’s dinner at downtown fashion scene stalwart Indochine. I manage to change out of my plane clothes before joining Lily Donaldson, Pat Cleveland and Jonathan Saunders at the bar and although tiredness is threatening to engulf me (I’ve been up for 24 hours) the fact Roitfeld’s signature style is one step closer to being attainable keeps me awake. That and the pomegranate margaritas. I’m reminded of Roitfeld’s words in our interview: “We live in a special world and we’re very lucky.” True; and now everyone can dress for that world.

Carine Roitfeld reveals the fashion lessons that have helped her create her signature style