Summer was full of floaty dresses in brazen colours with bold patterns. This winter is the winter of Jewel colours, romantic ruffles and tailoring.

Every girl needs: a great pairs of jeans, a smart tailored suit, a pair of gorgeous boots, some sort of knitwear top, a stunning, romantic dress and a coat. To be more cost effective base your wardrobe on three or four colours. I'd personally base everything on black, white, greys and flashes of jewel colours that I know I suit such as pinks, purples, teal and deep blue.

A great pair of jeans can come from any where, they don't need to be expensive to fit you perfectly – my favourite, comfiest, most flattering jeans are a Primark jobby and because they were only £8 I bought two pairs! Score! Other great makers of jeans such as Levi, Gap and Diesel also offer a great range of styles and fits and are quite reasonably priced. High waisted jeans are great to wear with a blouse, especially a pair with wide legs but as we come into winter they may not be practical in the rain (or snow… fingers crossed!) and I would rather have a lovely pair of skinny jeans to tuck into my winter boots. Boot leg jeans flatter most shapes and balance out a top heavy figure where as skinny jeans can accentuate this.

A smart tailored suit can be mixed with anything; you can wear a suit jacket with a skirt, trousers, city shorts or jeans for a more casual look. I personally love couture jackets with romantic ruffles and corseting in the back. I found a gorgeous short jacket on ASOS but it didn't come in the colours I want so I will continue my search else where! Make sure your jacket nips in your waist to accentuate your femininity. A pencil skirt flatters most figures, no matter what size. Pin stripes in trousers or a skirt will give the illusion of extra height and slenderness so if you're a little on the short side: get some racing stripes and tower above every one! Many people hate tulip skirts but I think they look great, especially on boyish figures, even on an already curvy girl they look fantastic and feminine. Make sure your suit trousers are long enough. Unless your going for a mod look, because ankle swingers are never sexy. I found a huge selection of gorgeous pencil skirts in River Island, they were all completely wearable and you could easily mix them into your wardrobe.

Military coats are all the rage this season, but they probably won't keep you warm. Buy one all the same and you can wear it over a dress to casual it down, with jeans to smarten up and on an evening out to keep warm and look bang up to date!

A faux fur coat is always good, a nice classy, sleek fur coat. My grandmother would tell me that classy and faux fur don't go together, but I'm a leopard print girl so its probably true.  A fur vest will keep you warm with out being too over the top, at the Autumn/Winter 08 London Fashion Week fur ruffs and short jackets were everywhere, these are also a little more practical on a night out than a full length trench coat. I think that mac style coats with a strong gold waist belt are great and can be worn anywhere. If you want to carry on the retro look that is around in the underground these days then grab your self a brightly coloured bomber jacket.

Dresses are the same as always, find something perfect that flatters you amazingly and makes you feel on top of the world. Either go for jewel colours or a dark colour. The gothic, Victorian element this Autumn means you could wear a high necked dress with lace and subtle details or a plain dress with one huge colourful accessory such as a clutch bag or necklace. The other option is to go a little crazy with a brazen tartan pattern. Places such as Topshop and most high street shops are bound to have a tartan dress this season, but watch out these are popular and you don't want to go through the ‘Oh my gosh, can't believe we're wearing the same dress!' saga. I've been there and it's not cool! Oasis, River Island and ASOS all have a great collection of dresses at the moment so head over for something classic but sexy.

I think cowboy boots are brilliant but you don't have to agree, for a gorgeous authentic pair head down to Camden Market or somewhere similar, there are some great shops for boots and shoes. I'm sorry to say it but Ugg boots are over, they were pretty hideous to begin with but the comfort factor over took a little bit and suddenly everyone was wearing them, even recently I've seen girls in denim skirts and Uggs. One thing I can't understand… if it's hot enough to wear a mini skirt, why would you wear FUR LINED BOOTS?!? Although saying this I saw a pair of fairly new Uggs on a woman in Costa coffee and they were quite nice, grey and knitted rather than tan, suede and falling apart. I eventually found them on ASOS and they didn't look as nice as I originally thought.

Getting a pair of tall boots with straps gives a slouchy, outlandish look. A short pair in jewel colours can be worn with jeans, a suit or even a skirt. Laces up, mid calf, high heeled boots are sexy and fit in with the slightly Victorian Gothic theme this year.

Remember to work your silhouette ladies! Accentuate and create curves where ever you can!

Words and Images By Jemima Compton