Spring sees the rebirth of the jacket. It’s an absolute layering essential when you’re too warm for woolies and too cold for T’s. Whether it is belted, buckled, studded, cropped, voluminous, baby-doll or a-line, one of the new jacket shapes is a new season must-have.

• Trapeze – an a-line jacket that swings out from the underarm points
• Peplum – a jacket with a peplum (an extension of the bodice of a jacket that comes below the waist line and is usually slightly flared), much like a baby doll style
• Belted – a jacket that is belted at the waist
• Boxy –a snugly fitting cropped bolero style jacket
• Leather – a cropped biker-style jacket with or without studs
• Sporty – a utility-inspired style, usually with a hood, oversized zippers and fairly light in weight

Jackets are a vital component to the flop-proof outfit and versatile in every sense. They “make a statement without trying to hard”. Find one with stretch and it will also be very comfortable.

My wardrobe wouldn’t function without jackets, partly because they pull together my look and partly because I feel the cold quickly. They even serve their purpose in warmer climates when air-conditioning keeps the indoors at arctic temperatures.

Peplum (Kenzie), sporty (L.A.M.B.) and belted (Marc Jacobs) style jackets from Nordstrom. 

This happy hue is one of Spring’s hottest trends and certainly the colour to wear if you want to get noticed. Lemon, mustard, saffron, mango, neon and canary shades all have a prominent place this season.

Yellow items of clothing can be overwhelming, sallow and unflattering. It’s all about the shade you choose and what you pair it with. Match yellow with:

• Neutrals like black, white, cream, stone, grey, khaki, brown and denim. This sophisticated combination will not fail. It’s nice to freshen up the black and white combinations that most of us already have in our wardrobes with the warmth of a yellow hue.
• Blues like navy, periwinkle, and cobalt are particularly striking on those of you with blue eyes.
• Brights like fire engine red, hot pink, key lime and kelly green. This combination is for the ultra daring individual who is confident making striking statements with bold colours.

Buying a shirt, blouse, camisole, T-shirt, tunic, cardigan, pullover, dress or trench in some shade of yellow is a good way to update for Spring. Don’t be afraid to give this rather controversial colour a chance – you might be pleasantly surprised.

Casual and smart casual combinations in yellow and neutrals from  J. Crew, Nordstrom and Esprit.

While you don’t need to have a bag for every outfit, using one handbag for all occasions simply does not work. Women often ask me to recommend a handbag that they can use 24/7. I disappoint them by replying that there is no such thing as “one bag fits all”. It’s easy to ruin an outfit with the wrong handbag. Heavy dark bags look super in autumn and winter with a coat or jacket, but will overwhelm a soft pretty dress. You’ll also want a change from your everyday work bag to something smaller and smarter when you go out at night or attend a fancy occasion.

For those of you that want to have style with the fewest number of bags in your wardrobe, my suggestion would be to invest in a timeless “3-bag-complement”:

• Black or brown bag for colder weather
• Metallic, white or coloured bag for warmer weather
• Small evening clutch for smarter occasions

If your lifestyle also demands a briefcase then you’ll need to add that as a fourth bag. And if bags are your very favourite thing like they are for me, you can never have enough. The right bag can pop the most mundane outfit into the next season – the only thing you’ll want to consider is your budget!

You could go more funky or designer, but these handbags from Kenneth Cole are a safe choice if you don’t want to think about handbags again for a while.

While I believe that less is more when it comes to wearing make-up, wearing nothing at all can leave you looking tired and sickly (especially if you are). There are a few exotically beautiful women in the world that can pull off “the absolutely no make-up” look, but most of us can benefit from a bit of polish.

Here’s how to do it in under 30 seconds:

• Cover the odd spot with concealer
• Pop on a bit of blusher
• End with a dab of lip gloss

If you can spare another 15 seconds, I’d throw in the mascara as well. This fast and simple make-up ritual can make the world of difference to how you look. Buy mini size cosmetics with built in applicators that you can keep in your handbag and refresh the blusher and the gloss mid day. The next time you catch yourself in a passing mirror – you’ll look fab instead of drab.