Dressing for winter

OK! I admit it! I think the fashionista thing is rubbing off on me way too much. I’m off to enjoy the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park tonight and in my pre-fash mag days, my only thought would’ve been how to keep warm tonight. Chunky sweater, jeans, hat – you know the kind of thing.

However, this morning I woke up and felt utterly bemused at what to wear. How does one dress for winter but stylishly? The thing is you never really see celebrities all bundled up and looking toasty. Posh Spice chose this very seasonal outfit of mini-skirt, bare legs and no coat to go Christmas shopping in. She must have really felt the cold, especially being such a skinny thing.

To be fair, you can see why celebs don’t do the winter woollies look. It bulks out the frame (and the camera already adds pounds), plus being warm isn’t very sexy is it? If Heidi Klum can’t look good while she’s skiing, what hope do us mere mortals have?

However, a couple of stars do it really well and I’ve been taking inspiration from these guys:

• Mary Kate Olsen – she plays with a mixture of proportions so avoids the Michelin Man look. Although being so skinny she’d have to wear a lot of jumpers to look that big.
• Jessia Alba manages to combine warmth, comfort and fashion with this cool military-inspired look.
• Sienna Miller - I think she does off duty dressing very well and is a realistic style role-model. Here she’s wearing lots of layers – perfect for when you’re out shopping and going in and out of hot shops

So what did I end up wearing today? I took inspiration from la dinky Olsen and threw on a chunky wrap cardy, black skinny jeans and grey riding boots. Topped with my Zara military coat, I think I’ve got this seasonal style nailed.

What I didn’t count on happening today however was having my photo taken for a feature I’m in – will my winter dressing pile on those pounds? We’ll have to wait until it’s published to find out!