The Pinafore: a Winter "Must Have"

In my view, the pinafore, smock or shift dress, are "must have's" for the coming season.

I really enjoy the challenge of taking simple items and putting them together in varying ways to get different looks. These dresses allow for lots of possibilities, in terms of layering and accessorising, including mixing fabrics, colours and textures. However, I also like the monochromatic effect of the simple black and white too.

In recent fashion photo shoots, we've seen the dresses teamed with skivvies, shirts, leggings and tights, but as we get into the colder months, I'm looking forward to adding boots such as the dress bootie or the gorgeous over the knee designs on offer at Nine West (of course the longer boots will suit shorter pinafores best, as will slim-line straight leg pants instead of leggings or tights).

Almost every label has their own version of the pinafore. Country Road's Urban Career Range has some lovely smock dresses. There is a wide selection of black available in these styles, but look out for grey as it features prominently in the winter palette this year.

Finally, for some great inspiration in the area of layering, take a look at Streets Ahead in Style.com for the Sartorialist's best snaps from Milan and Paris.