A. The dresses that appear on Strictly Come Dancing are one-offs, designed and made specially for each star. The BBC says it will auction the frocks for charity once the current series is over. Until then, you can find a number of designers whose work has a Strictly sensibility. Whenever I look at a beaded, floaty, feminine flutter-sleeved Temperley frock, I hear Bruce Forsyth’s voice ringing in my ears. Alice Temperley (020 7229 7957) claims that her current collection is inspired by “elements of Spanish culture”, but it looks pure ballroom to me.

The heavily beaded flapper number by Jenny Packham (£1,175, from Liberty; 020 7734 1234), has a tango feel — the dance, not the drink. Also at Liberty, check out Paddy Campbell, Collette Dinnigan and the less expensive Nocturne label, all of which would fit in well at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom. For something less expensive, try Bernshaw (£180-£400; 020 7612 0100), which specialises in evening wear. It has lots of frocks with encrusted diamanté detail, sequins or beading.

For an authentic ballroom dress, visit www.theballroomshop.co.uk, which will make a dress to your own design, so you can have as many sequins as you like. Alternatively, www.glamourgear.co.uk sells second-hand costumes from about £90.

Q. I would like to invest in pearl jewellery. I like black pearls best. Where should I look (I live in London)? Do pearls hold their value?

A. The better the pearl, the better it will hold its value. Tahitian (black) or South Sea pearls are the most highly prized; conch pearls (found only in Mexico and the Caribbean) are the rarest. Size, lustre, colour, spherical perfection, inclusions and the thickness of the nacre (the pearl’s outer coating) all affect the price.

At the pearl specialist Mikimoto, you can pay between £5,000 and £100,000 for a Tahitian pearl necklace (020 7629 5300; ask to speak to Simon, the manager). It is also worth looking at the antiques market: try the Pearl Gallery (020 7409 2743) in Gray’s Antique Market (www.graysantiques.com).

Q. I am a youngish bloke who bought a pair of Helmut Lang’s new extra-slimfit jeans. I love the look and feel, but hadn’t bargained for the friction: the tight-fitting denim has rubbed patches of hair off the top of my outer thighs and my calves. The bald patches are quite itchy — and I’m thankful my underpants region has been spared. I don’t like washing much, and wore the jeans for two weeks solid, which led to unsightly denim acne. Do other wearers of tight trousers, such as Axl Rose, suffer the same indignities?

A. Be glad that you don’t look like every other saggy-arsed-denim bloke out there. To reduce itchiness spots, wash your jeans more often and exfoliate your skin regularly. It makes grow-back more comfortable.

E-mail your questions to wardrobe.mistress@sunday-times.co.uk

SKINTED
New Look
Keep hold of your pennies with a studded bag, £30; 0500 454094.

MINTED
Whistles
Or get carried away with a leather alternative, £135; 0870 770 4301.

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