October is a great time to go shopping for your Autumn- Winter wardrobe. You don’t need to spend a fortune though –  a few well-chosen pieces will give your wardrobe an instant update.

Colour

This season’s key colour is red.  This is a confident, sexy colour that will get you noticed so make sure you get the right shade for you. If you have warm undertones opt for an orangey red, whereas if you have cool colouring a blue- based berry red should work well. You don’t have to dress head to toe in red though – how about adding a scarf, bag or necklace to add a pop of colour to a neutral toned outfit?

Speaking of neutrals, expect to see lots of chocolate brown and navy around too – so much more flattering on many people than black.

 Fabrics

Velvet, shiny fabrics and fur are perennial winter favourites but this season designers have also embraced good old corduroy!  Consigned to fashion waste-land for many years, it’s now very much on-trend, popping up as trousers, jackets and coats. Use fabrics like these judiciously to balance out your shape – ie wear texture on the parts of your body you want to draw attention to, so for example, if you’re an inverted triangle (aka pear) shape you may want to opt for a cord jacket rather than jeans.

Tights

Tights are a key look this season and one we can all embrace. Sheer, opaque, fishnets, lacy, spotty and in all sorts of colours there really is something for everyone.  Opaque tights offer great camouflage for less than perfect legs and some of the denser patterned tights can also conceal scars, varicose and thread veins.  If you have fab legs though, why not highlight them with patterned and coloured tights?  They’re particularly good for adding interest to an otherwise plain outfit.

 Footwear

There are a plethora of ornate, bejewelled and embroidered shoes and boots available. I’d suggest

keeping the rest of your outfit quite plain and letting your feet do the talking.  Statement boots such as these from M&S (just £35)  are an excellent way of dressing up and adding some personality to jeans.

Ruffles, belts and bows

There were loads of ruffles around this Spring-Summer and the trend will continue into this season, with the addition of bows.  Use them to highlight your best bits! Belts are also back and are an excellent way to highlight a neat waist. This season designers were showing them cinching in overcoats as well as dresses and skirts. If you carry your weight around the tummy though, belts are best avoided.

For a wide choice of belts, try onceuponabelt.com

If you’d like help putting together your Autumn-Winter wardrobe why not book a personal shopping trip with me? Or come along to my Boden and Kettlewell shopping event 28^th October and I’ll help you find some  looks that will work for you.