I don’t do fashion as I might say in modern speak. I tried when younger. I do my own thing. I’ve never owned Ugg boots or an asymmetrical cardi and steered clear of those fur gilets.

But I still see fashion around me. The school gates are fascinating. It surprises me that mature women still like to dress the same as each other.

”There’s nothing more to this blog than a whimsical wondering about fashion and art”

That’s an aside. What I wonder is what fashion’s for. Can we really assume it’s purely a moneymaking exercise for the designers and suppliers? Or does it fulfil something else in us?

It’s akin to the car industry. Anything but a practical, economical car like, say... a Mondeo... is also unnecessary. So why are there so many varieties around?

You need clothes for decency and to keep you warm, You need a car (questionable altogether, but I’ll continue anyway) to get you places. Clothes and cars seem to share ambivalence in our minds.

Is fashion for people who love clothes or loathe them? For those who can’t decide how to dress themselves or for those who can? Are followers of fashion just lazy?

As I drifted in and out of shops at the weekend up and down Oxford Street, I stroked fabrics and scrutinised everything. Some things I made my mind up about quickly (all Maxi dresses as well as leggings that looked like skin complaints). Other things I had to think longer about.

”I can’t be alone in this analysis. I think women’s alleged love of clothes shopping is akin to an innate love of art”

And while I was stroking and feeling, I thought that what I was doing was the same as I do in art galleries. I tilted my head, stepped back, stepped forward, then looked at the thing in the context of its surroundings. So aren’t clothes lovers really art lovers?

When I look at a pair of shoes, I’m looking at them as I would a piece of furniture or a teapot. As a design piece. Is the angle of the heel correct? Does it look strong? Is it well-proportioned? What about the colour? Is it practical? Are the materials suitable?

It has to obey the same rules as anything else that enters my home. (This is why my home is taking so long to decorate, furnish and add accessories to. Nine years and counting.)

”Aren’t we looking for something unique and even elusive in its design? The same as art collectors do ”

I’m not excluding men here but I think men’s fashion is more static and sadly less adventurous.

There’s nothing more to this blog than a whimsical wondering about fashion and art. In the science museum there’s that extraordinary stunning Vivienne Westwood carpet dress which I always want to see; there’s no doubt about the connection there.

But that’s the top end of the scale. At the common, everyday end, there’s us milling about H&M or Zara or Primark (sliding down to minus numbers now if we’re on an ‘x, y’ type graph...)

Aren’t we looking for something unique and even elusive in its design? The same as art collectors do. The ultimate black dress. The most exquisite boots. A perfect handbag... It’s art appreciation for the masses, I’m convinced.

My feet were weary when I got back. But I think I discovered something about shopping. And for me, it’s not even about buying anything. Just looking. The things my sister bought excited me as much as if I’d have bought them. Vicarious pleasure.

My next aesthetic appreciation won’t be for ages. But that’s what I’m going to call it from now on. Retail therapy? No, it’s now called an art field day.