GUEST AUTHOR: Debby With A Why 

I have a fashion confession to make.

I don’t really like velvet and have not succumbed to the trend. I also didn’t get into wide leg pants and when everyone was wearing white jeans, I decided this was another trend I wasn’t keen on.

You don’t have to agree with me. You can wear what you want if it makes you feel like a boss.

That’s the beauty about fashion. What works for me, what I love and feel like a superstar in, isn’t what’ll make you want to find a mirror or window just so you can take a sneaky stroll past and check yourself out.

Perhaps it’s me channelling my inner French fashionista – you know, the woman who doesn’t follow trends, wears what she wants and looks amazing in it whether it’s black pants and a white shirt, a black dress or jeans, a jacket and a t-shirt.

If the French woman likes it, she wears it – simple.

Finding your own style is hard. Let’s not sugar coat it (unless it’s a donut).

With Instagram and Pinterest overloaded with pics of celebs and influencers and so much outfit inspiration, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose yourself a little bit.

Someone might look amazing in something, but you put it on and it doesn’t work – that’s totally fine. Can you imagine if we all looked the same – boring!

When it comes to my style, I wear a lot of black, white and grey. There’s not much colour in my wardrobe but I don’t care because that’s what I like.

I also love something that’s a little more loose fitting for my day to day outfits, preferring to be comfortable (that isn’t quite the same when it comes to shoes though).

I’m not a pretty dresser, opting for an oversized jumper or shirt than a more tight fitting top and skirt combo or cute floral dress. You’ll also see me in chunky boots or wedges, over strappy heels.

For me, what I wear needs to have edge and be a little different. I don’t do cookie cutter (but if you give me a cookie I won’t say no).

The key thing is I like my style. I like what I wear and I feel good. It’s not about anyone else.

You need to look at yourself in the mirror and feel sensational. Forget the trends – they come and go – but the classics will always be there.

Here are 7 things I think you need in your wardrobe as a starting point to determining your style.

1. A good fitting white shirt
2. A white or black t-shirt
3. A comfortable and well fitting pair of jeans – denim or black
4. A pair of black pants or a black skirt
5. A leather or faux leather jacket
6. A blazer
7. A denim jacket

That of course isn’t the end of your shopping. These are your investment pieces – the ones that pretty much go with everything and will last years. What happens next is mixing and matching, which is where more of your personality comes in.

It can be a colourful scarf, a cool hat, a pair of sneakers or metallic boots, adding trend pieces along the way if you want like the cold shoulder tops we’ve been seeing, ripped jeans, colours that make a comeback.

My tip for on trend pieces would be don’t overspend on them, rather throwing in a few extra dollars for your investment pieces.

But at the end of your shopping trip, you need to love your outfit and trust me, people will notice, not because they necessarily want to wear what you are, but because you’re confident and loving yourself.

– Debby