At one point this year I thought I’d never write a trends story again – what with everyone wearing pyjamas and trackie bottoms 24/7.

So it is with a feeling of celebration that this week I’m researching the return of preppie style for one of my titles. White shirts, loafers, pleated skirts… it’s a trend, people.

And it’s actually not the first trends piece I’ve written for the season, so this particular staple of fashion journalism is not dead. Thank god. The Times particularly loves a fashion trend story, particularly if they can pin it on editors and fashion insiders. So if your brand has gifted a number of editors with a particular style of jeans and they’ve told you they love it, be brazen. Suggest they might consider to be part of a potential trend story. I mean, you’re not doing this for kicks, are you?

Another weapon you have at your finger tips are sales statistics. Journalists love a stat and they are a weapon under-used by PRs, in my opinion.

So if your client is seeing a boost in certain products they need to share that information with you, so you can share it with the press and they can tell the rest of the world – so that they can buy one too!

And that’s how trends work.