diff --git a/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/adaptors.py b/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/adaptors.py
index 7032254ce..874a8fd28 100644
--- a/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/adaptors.py
+++ b/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/adaptors.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class ItemAdaptor(Declarative):
 
     def _get_field_adaptors(self):
         fa = {}
-        for field in self.item_instance._fields.keys():
+        for field in self.item_instance.fields.keys():
             try:
                 fa[field] = object.__getattribute__(self, field)
             except:
diff --git a/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/models.py b/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/models.py
index b102526aa..d1b6c71ad 100644
--- a/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/models.py
+++ b/scrapy/trunk/scrapy/contrib_exp/newitem/models.py
@@ -17,28 +17,24 @@ class Item(Declarative, ScrapedItem):
     def __init__(self):
         self._values = {}
 
-    @property
-    def _fields(self):
-        return self.__class__.fields
-
     def __setattr__(self, name, value):
         if name.startswith('_'):
             return object.__setattr__(self, name, value)
 
-        if name in self._fields.keys():
-            self._values[name] = self._fields[name].assign(value)
+        if name in self.fields.keys():
+            self._values[name] = self.fields[name].assign(value)
         else:
             raise AttributeError(name)
 
     def __getattribute__(self, name):
-        if name.startswith('_'):
+        if name.startswith('_') or name == 'fields':
             return object.__getattribute__(self, name)
         
-        if name in self._fields.keys():
+        if name in self.fields.keys():
             try:
                 return self._values[name]
             except KeyError:
-                return self._fields[name].default
+                return self.fields[name].default
         else:
             raise AttributeError(name)
 
@@ -47,5 +43,5 @@ class Item(Declarative, ScrapedItem):
         Generate the following format so that items can be deserialized
         easily: ClassName({'attrib': value, ...})
         """
-        reprdict = dict((field, getattr(self, field)) for field in self._fields)
+        reprdict = dict((field, getattr(self, field)) for field in self.fields)
         return "%s(%s)" % (self.__class__.__name__, repr(reprdict))