Given that 'parties' are the fashion world’s primary means of communicating with its citizens (on the occasion of a show, or a shoe, or anything really), the idea that we’re currently in 'Party Season' seems a little quaint, like something out of a Nancy Mitford novel. Surely it’s the broad teaching of things like The September Issue, Lagerfeld Confidential and Mademoiselle C that, when you’re in fashion, life is a party?

Yet here we are, floating around towards the end of autumn '13. Everyone is going to be throwing little dinners and get-togethers and, as this is a trend-based social economy we are talking about, you must too. So, how to up the fashion ante?

First comes the food. Broadly speaking, we can divide fashion’s current attitude towards food into two camps, the first favouring tiny bites of conceptual art (see London’s Clove Club’s canapes at the Prada spring 2014 show) and the second going for an iconoclastic reappraisal of low-brow fodder – what Stevie King, head of lifestyle at top London party planners Purple PR, calls 'heavy canapés', like sliders and burgers. Naturally it’s still the done thing to court big gastronomic names for your event (April Bloomfield cooked for the capital's pop-up Miu Miu club in 2012, Valentine Warner for the launch of Berluti’s in Mayfair this August).

But it’s also possible to recreate some of fashion’s current food obsessions at home, on a budget. For example, a 'boozy punch', which King says is the drink of the moment. (Presumably this should involve Campari or Aperol, the trendiest spirits of 2013). Rebecca Guinness, editor-at-large at fashion and luxury site NOWNESS, says bringing current restaurant practices into the home can make a dinner party much more convivial. 'It’s all about sharing plates now,' says Guinness. 'I’m really a big fan of people helping themselves, and helping themselves to what they want, rather than dishing up portions.'

For those looking to take their food trends a step further, Italian fashion designer and blogger Anna Marconi has an interesting proposition on her site TasteofRunway.com, where she shares dinner party-ready recipes designed to match the latest runway fashions. For autumn 2013, Valentino is rendered as a raspberry carpaccio, Bottega Veneta as polenta with mushrooms. A red dress from Dolce & Gabbana’s autumn/winter collection goes best with tomato and chilli linguine, in case you were wondering. 'We are what we eat, but also what we choose to wear,' says Marconi, via email, in explanation. 'Often our dinners vary according to our look.'

"We are what we eat, but also what we choose to wear. Often our dinners vary according to our look" - Anna Marconi

Setting and atmosphere are also key: alongside perfectly ironed tablecloths and polished cutlery, Marconi recommends precision lighting 'Never too high, never too low,' and, for a bit of synaesthesia 'a fragrant essence to disperse in the air before guests arrive.' It’s unclear whether it’s absolutely necessary to hand out Missoni beach towels or canaries in golden cages, but these are both tactics that have been adopted in the past by Vogue USA contributing editor Lauren Santo Domingo. 

Table dressing can be employed for sheer aesthetic pleasure – for inspiration see the website of Fiona Leahy, an event designer whose clients include Jade Jagger, Mark Ronson and Stella McCartney. But then again, it could also be used to deliver a bit of a surprise, according to Gary Card, one of the fashion industry’s most in-demand set and prop designers. 'If I was forced to make a centrepiece,' says Card, 'I'd make a papier maché turkey, to confuse my guests. Imagine the looks on their faces when they tried to carve through newspaper and galvanised wire…'

Lastly, there’s the small matter of who, apart from yourself, might actually attend your dinner/party/other. 'The only thing that really matters is company,' says Guinness. 'Unless you run out of drink.' In the case of a dinner, she recommends taking time to think where everyone might sit, but adds: 'The best combination of people is when you think about it a little bit but you don’t particularly plan. If people are your friends, they’ll get on with each other.' As far as numbers go, more is better, for maximising the opportunity for people to find someone they can talk to. But this doesn’t apply for celebrities, should you know any (and being in fashion, you naturally should). 'Famous people are an enormous energy suck, especially if you have too many,' says Guinness, her tongue firmly in cheek. 'It’s only for the first hour or so… I think people settle down eventually. Maybe just [invite] two, to keep the balance, so all the attention’s not just focused on one person.'