 He made a foray into journalism by contributing an article to "The Observer" on Italian fashion, which led to invitations to write for other publications.In 1986 he began to focus predominantly on his emerging journalism career, being appointed a fashion reporter for "The Sunday Times".In 1989, while visiting Cairo for an assignment, he was caught up in a fire that broke out in his hotel and escaped by jumping from a second floor window – breaking his ankle in the process.