Wardrobe essentials...

From season to season it's obvious that there are some trends that just don't stick around. While some trends seem to come and go so fast it's hard to know what to stock up on for the long run...

Key trends to pick up on:

1. A good pair of black leather boots

whether flat or heeled, chunky boots are perfect to wear with girlie dresses or a pair of leggings and tunic style top.

2. A blazer...duh

Okay, this one's sticking around for a while. Ideally a blazer with shoulder pads, but any slouchy looking thing will be great to pretty much wear with anything.

3. A winter maxi dress, go on I dare you.

Kate Moss designed one for Topshop recently: long, black, strapless and covered top to bottom in sequins. What's not to love.

4. Distressed denim...

you don't need me to tell you that. Bleached, torn, studded, zips, chains: whatever floats your boat.

5. animal print...

this one's sticking around for a while too. Great for the festive season.

Overrated Celebrity Style Icons

Flicking through magazines, newspapers and websites you expect to come across celebrities such as Cheryl Cole and Rihanna who have in the past couple of years generated attention for becoming the new era's fashion icons. What most people don't consider when they praise certain celebrities is the fact they most likely have a stylist and makeup artist on hand. Take Cheryl Cole for instance who found fame in 2002 on the TV show "Pop Stars the Rivals". During this time Cheryl was often seen wearing trackie bottoms, Von Dutch hats and hoop earrings and was a far cry from being labelled a fashion icon. Years later and Cheryl Cole has bagged herself a premier league football player, a successful solo career and evidently a stylist. It's without a doubt that Cheryl's new wardrobe is impressive but when comparing her to other famous fashionistas there is a lack of originality and personality. Alexa Chung; girlfriend of Arctic Monkey's frontman Alex Turner and successful TV presenter has an underrated sense of style that shows off a British eccentricity and a skill for putting outfits together. This means that unlike Cheryl Cole she has no worry of wearing the same thing twice as she has enough originality to pull it off!

Thigh-highs at the ready...except you halle

Autumn is upon us, which means it's finally time to whip out the new boots you have been dying to wear ever since you bought them back in August. I had been waiting for what feels like a long time to get myself into a pair of thigh-high boots I bought from Zara's in summer, so I was overly pleased when I was able to visit England this week and given the opportunity to get into them! Last month however, I witnessed a fashion no-no from a usually classy; Halle Berry, when she appeared on the Jay Leno show wearing her thigh-highs (heeled, snakeskin & shiny) with a revealing tight black dress, and hooker-chic hoop earrings.

For this I'm going to have to disagree with the saying; 'if you've got it flaunt it'. Yes yes, we know you're beautiful Halle Berry. But really, you can do better than that outfit...So, this could leave any aspiring fashionista with little confidence when it comes to

getting into thigh-highs. When is it acceptable to wear them? Well, to start, not with a mini skirt/dress, bare legs or translucent tights. You should team up your thigh-highs with either opaque tights, leggings or a good pair of skinnies. Kate Moss pulled hers off with white skinnies, a black blazer/furry coat and minimal accessorizing. So next time you are browsing for an outfit to wear with those new boots of yours, take a leaf out of Kate moss's book and don't over do it!