Remember the late 1970s when burnt orange and Mission Brown were de rigeur for home decoration? If not, you’ll have to trust me on that.

The colour orange seems to hold a special attraction at this time of year, mirroring the colours of Autumn leaves and suggesting warmth as the weather turns chillier. Orange is said to stimulate appetite, which is probably why orange foods have such a strong appeal.

It’s not a fashionable colour to wear this Autumn, or Fall as it’s called in the US. If you need verification of that, go to the Mercedes Benz fashion week site where fewer than a handful of designers, including Matthew Williamson and Duckie Brown, stray from a palette of black, blue, purple, red and claret to introduce a splash or two of orange. I love it teamed with grey.

By the way, I recently read a report that Matthew Williamson has released a bargain-priced Summer range to H&M Stores around the world. Pity that H&M haven’t opened any stores in Australia, nor are they likely to in the foreseeable future.

By no means fashionable, I like to know what I might anticipate finding during my rummages at market stalls and in op (charity) shops. There should be plenty of discarded orange garments around right now because orange seemed to have had yet another brief moment in the sun last Winter.

I only know this because last August we attended a birthday lunch in Melbourne where one of our fashion-conscious friends looked splendid in an orange jacket.

And I’d occasionally spot a trendily-dressed, orange-clad visitor in Daylesford – no doubt slumming it away from the luxury of Lake House for an hour or so. I’ve yet to find anything orange, that appeals, in local op shops, although those in Melbourne or Sydney might have one or two offerings.

Orange is the colour of Thanksgiving in the US, possibly because it’s also the colour of Fall leaves and pumpkins.

Used as food packaging, orange conveys freshness and at the same time stimulates appetite; devilishly cunning, those marketing types.

From a more ‘woo-woo’ point of view, orange is believed to signify creativity, thoughtfulness and sincerity. It’s also supposed to be the colour of luck and is associated with sexual urges and reproduction; the gratification of the second no doubt dependent upon the first.

Another claim made of orange is that it balances the emotions during times of stress or shock and helps one happily accept new ideas.

For whatever reason – which I haven’t yet fully identified – I crave more orange in my life. I don’t care whether it’s new, used or even whether it’s completely unfashionable. I’d just rather it wasn’t teamed with Mission Brown.