Last year white was the new black; the year before black - rather confusingly - was the new black; but now it seems a picturesque North Yorkshire spa town is the new black.

Harrogate is the fashion capital of North Yorkshire. It must be: style gurus Caryn Franklin, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine say so. Their new style guides, which pinpoint the best independent boutiques in the country, contain just three entries for North Yorkshire, and all of them are in Harrogate.

The owners of Lynx Womenswear, Morgan Clare, and Rita Valpiani are obviously thrilled, but their counterparts 20 miles or so down the A59 in York are less impressed.

A spokesman for Sarah Coggles in Low Petergate, York, was brief and to the point: "I think I'll have to say no comment, because to comment would be to give the impression that we are bothered."

Colin Smith, who has run Giselle, also in Low Petergate, with his wife Karen for 18 years, had more to say, questioning whether the TV fashion pundits had ever actually set foot in the city.

"They obviously haven't actually been to York," he said. "They decided beforehand that Harrogate was the fashionable place to shop in North Yorkshire and completely bypassed us.

"We have built our business up over 18 years and have seen a lot of changes in that time. If these style experts came to our shop, or indeed any other of the independent boutiques that have sprung up in the Petergate area in recent years, they would find the best designers and the highest level of service they could hope for. Customers demand the full package now, and we happily provide it. Nothing is too much trouble.

"It's a bit annoying that York has been ignored, but our customers know where we are, and new customers seem to be able to find us without too much trouble. These guides are all about personal preference: if you asked ten people to name the best boutiques you would get ten different answers."

Former Clothes Show presenter Caryn Franklin - she of the Dickie Davies hair streak - came up with three answers when asked to name her choice of North Yorkshire boutiques in her new book Fashion UK. Each shop featured was accrued from a list of award winners and personal recommendations, and was visited - often several times - before inclusion.

"Being a privileged aficionado I have benefited from visiting designer friends in their studios, and helping myself to their sample rail, while having it explained in passionate detail - in the early days by John Richmond and later by Andrew and Ren at Pearce Fionda," said Caryn. "I wanted that experience to be available to all women who seek it.

"The shops listed offer just such a service and more, and contrary to expectation are not aimed at moneyed clients. In fact if we got so much as a snifter of prejudice, the shop was dropped."

Her North Yorkshire (for North Yorkshire, read Harrogate) choices are:

Lynx in West Park, founded by husband and wife team Guy and Morag Hudson in 1985, which sells shoes, casualwear, new designers, denim and a more sophisticated higher price range.

Caryn's verdict: "The key to the store's success lies in the owners' hands-on approach. Exclusivity is important to the Hudsons, who spend a great deal of time in Europe sourcing unknown designers. Unusually the seven-strong sales team doesn't include a manager. Each staff member is expected to keep up with new collections as they arrive."

Morgan Clare in Montpellier Gardens is another husband and wife venture, launched by Martin and Su Allard in 1997 to specialise in the cream of British fashion.

Caryn's verdict: "Quality and service are high. Between forays to the fitting rooms, customers can relax on the store's large, comfortable sofas and contemplate purchases as they sip the complimentary refreshments or search magazines for inspiration. Happily, children are also catered for, with a window seating area and plenty of toys. Clearly this is a winning formula."

Rita Valpiani in Parliament Street, which was featured in the 1979 film Agatha starring Vanessa Redgrave, stocks a range of exclusive brands as well as the eponymous owner's own label.

Caryn's verdict: "At Rita Valpiani, the buzzword is 'individual' - a quality discernible in everything from the range of clothing to the attentive service offered to every customer. The well-trained staff make sure that everyone gets the same special treatment."

Morgan Clare is also featured in the new What Not To Wear book by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, who run riot through innocent people's wardrobes on the BBC2 programme of the same name. In this case, it is the only boutique in North Yorkshire to get a mention.

Trinny and Susannah's verdict: "They stock a massive range of lots of different designers so they can accommodate all ages and all occasions. They like to buy a wide selection from the extreme to the wearable."

York boutique owners may not be exactly over the moon about the city's lack of coverage in Caryn, Trinny and Susannah's books, but Guy Hudson of Lynx is proud that Harrogate is flying the fashion flag for the county.

"The fashion industry can be very London-centric, but these guides show that independent retailers are providing unique shopping experiences elsewhere in the country," he said. "Service is always our primary concern. At the end of the day we can't compete with Harvey Nichols on volume of stock. But we do compete in other ways by offering a very carefully edited selection of merchandise and excellent service."

But who are the shoppers putting Harrogate on the fashion map? Are the ladies who lunch also the ladies who buy?

"We get absolutely everyone, from people who want to indulge a 17 year old to very glamorous older women," said Guy.

"We've found we can cover a huge spectrum of people without losing sight of our ethos.

"To be honest I'm just flattered that people like what we do. I'm a people person and the biggest buzz for me is seeing a customer who is delighted by what they buy from us."

If you have any suggestions for shops that should be included in the next edition of Fashion UK - your favourite boutique in Petergate perhaps - send the details via email to caryn.franklin@conran-octopus.co.uk.

Meanwhile, tell us where you like to shop and why by writing to Jo Haywood (Features), The Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN or emailing jo.haywood@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 12:31 Tuesday, December 17, 2002