All frocked out: in which I resolve to ditch dresses for trousers

I love dresses, but I am fairly certain that I love them because they are easy. Easy to buy – one piece and you're done. Easy to style – one jacket/blazer/wrap and you're dressed. And of course: easy to wear – with the right styling a dress can take you anywhere.

It seems like so much more effort to find trousers and then get a top and maybe you need a jacket and even a belt, when it is so much easier to pick up a dress. Yes, I admit it - I'm lazy.

Consequently, I have a wardrobe full of dresses. Now don’t get me wrong, I love them all like Carrie loved her shoes, and over the years I have even managed some trouser type styling – if wearing a dress over jeans or leggings counts! And I do love my jeans, although funnily enough I'm always complaining that I don’t have enough tops. Go figure!

This year I promised myself I would change it up a little and get some trousers, as they're so hot for A/W12. So what's out there? What's the new-season spin on this wardrobe basic?

Well, there are still lots of skinnys and leggings and jeggings out there, in fact I could fill pages with pics of them and all in just about every colour and pattern you could desire. There are also lots of second-skin leathers, and patterned pants are still around for winter.

But what has given me the urge to buy trousers this year  are really the slim fit and cropped styles.

They come in luxe fabrics and a range of elegant shades, giving trousers a distinctly feminine feel and will suit both your work and weekend wardrobes.

They look great with this year’s blazers and tweed jackets and of course all the cute blouses and knits around. They 're also a great way of dressing up if you're not the pencil skirt type. And the fantastic thing about all the shorter length trousers, is that your killer heels or ankle boots look great with them.

So I grabbed myself a pair in Zara, in boring black of course - baby steps!  But I love them!

So are you a dress gal or do you love your trousers?