Move over, Barbie – fashion's new obsession with pink is for all of us, says Lauren Laverne. Wear it with red if you dare

Years ago I witnessed a fashion editor losing an argument about whether fuchsia should be reclassified as a "classic colour" (reclassified by whom I have no idea, although I like to imagine that Geoffrey from Rainbow has the final say over such matters, with the assistance of Zippy, Bungle and a huge, multicoloured gavel). At the time, the arguments against – which centred on pink being "too season-specific" – seemed convincing, but now I'm not so sure. Because the intervening years have been a Barbie-flavoured tsunami of "Keep Calm" cupcakes and chicklit… Candy pinks and petal shades predominate this season: the autumn runways were blooming out of time on both sides of the Atlantic. If you want to try the new pink palette, here are a few pointers to bear in mind.

Keep it ladylike, not girly. Hitchcock heroines were a popular autumn/winter touchstone, along with round shoulders, dirndl skirts and other 50s details. In that atmosphere, pink had to happen. Choose modest, unfussy pieces to capture the current mood. We're doing Grace Kelly not Britney.

If winter pink seems odd to you remember texture is what makes it wintry – there was tweed at Simone Rocha, pink astrakhan and ostrich skin at Miu Miu, mohair and cashmere at Jonathan Saunders. Embrace the contrast between blossom tones and cosy fabrics.

There was a lot of head-to-toe pink at the shows, but in real life that's probably not an option. So how to wear it? Greys and well-worn denim will look as great as ever and Saint Laurent showed pink with black, but the hottest combination around is rose and tomato.

There is a pink for everyone – and it might not be the shade you expect. Candy pinks aren't just for so-called English roses, nor do you need to fake tan if you're pale. See Roksanda Ilincic for inspiration. Fluoro is still around, but it's flickering intermittently (as Chrissie Hynde sang "The light outside your window blinks: hotel, hotel, hotel…"). Get your neon fix at Coast while it lasts.

Why shouldn't you blush in the office? If you work in a corporate environment and don't want to stand out more than you want to stand out, go for something unadorned – try one of Reiss's pieces (and repeat the words of Diana Vreeland to yourself: "Pink is the navy blue of India").

Speaking of pink in other cultures, fun fact: the Chinese symbol for pink literally means "foreign colour", as they didn't recognise the shade until they came into contact with westerners who did.

That's all for this week. I'm off to contact Geoffrey and submit pink for reclassification again. If Katie Price can dress herself, numerous ochre men, all her cars and children, some horses and then herself as a horse in a colour without killing it, it's not just classic. It's aesthetically immortal.