Sweater coats are not at the top of my list because they can look sloppy, robe-like and generally unflattering. But I understand their cozy, comfy and ultra-casual appeal. If you don’t feel the cold as much as I do, then the right weight of sweater coat might make an ideal cover-up for milder outside temperatures. It’s also a nice item to wear when it’s a dash chilly indoors.

Finding a flattering sweater coat is all in the cut:

• Keep it A-line. Not all welts taper, but the ones that do are harder to wear.
• Keep it tailored on the torso and fitted at the shoulders.
• Keep the gauge of the knit fine or semi-chunky because few people look good in chunky knits.
• Don’t go too long in the length unless you’re tall (above the knee is best).
• Make sure that the belt loops are correctly positioned if the style is belted (adjust the position of the belt if necessary).
• Watch that patch pockets on the hip area don’t add unnecessary bulk.

The right sweater coat is an appropriate addition to your wardrobe if there’s a boho element to your style. I personally prefer real coats with a bit more structure, but horses for courses. It’s fab that there’s something for everyone.

Unbelted styles tend to look less like robes and are certainly my preference this season. Add a little volume to the sleeve (like the style on the left) and you’ve got yourself a funky little casual look.

Shoe clips are an interesting way to give plain looking shoes a mini-makeover. Department stores don’t seem to stock this type of shoe jewelry anymore, but I have seen them at consignment stores and at online sites like Aliza Darik and Absolutely Audrey. At between $20 and $46 for a pair (plus the cost of shipping), shoe clips aren’t cheap. But it’s less than you would pay for a glitzy pair of shoes and you have the added advantage of switching them between different pairs of peds. They might be the perfect addition to your holiday ensemble or even a pretty Christmas present.

If you’re a redhead and you’ve never tried wearing purple, you are missing out. It might be the best colour for your skin and hair combination. “Red” hair is normally more a shade of orange, and nothing brings out the colour orange more than the right shade of purple. Orange/yellow shades and purple/blue shades oppose each other on the colour wheel, which means that they are “complementary”. So this wild colour combination also makes sense from a scientific point of view.

Remember that purples fall into either blue tones or pink tones and it’s a question of finding which purple is best for your particular shade of hair. I’ve found that a muted pinky-purple is an all-round fab colour for red heads. But various shades of purple from eggplant to raspberry to magenta to mauve to lilac will work too. Stunning Julianne Moore wore a muted purple dress to her movie premiere a few months ago… I rest my case.

Sometimes belted cardigans, blouses, tunics and coats can look gorgeous on the hanger, but odd when you try them on. This is often a case of incorrect belt loop positioning. Even if a garment is the right size and fit, belt loops that are positioned either too high or too low tend to look unflattering. Belted styles need to tie at the smallest part of your natural waist (unless they are specifically designed to fall low on your hips or high under the bust).

But don’t let the incorrect belt loop positioning of a garment put you off before you’ve tried the following:

• Take the belt out of it’s loops and re-position it correctly on your waist. If the garment looks flattering after this adjustment, you can either alter the belt loops, or cut them off and tie the belt without threading it through belt loops.
• Try the garment without the belt. Tailored garments don’t always need belts to give them shape, so it’s worth a try just to make sure.

I have seen people trying to make the most of unflattering belted styles by tying the knot loosely at the back (like a back tie). This is not a good look, especially when the garment is double breasted. If a belted style still doesn’t work after repositioning, don’t buy it.

Left: belts are lower then natural waist, which is not what the style intended.
Right: belts are positioned correctly at the smallest part of the model’s waist.