Three Rules for Getting Back to Work in Style

Planning a bit of a wardrobe overhaul for 2016? Then now is definitely a good time to start planning it. Office wear can be a bit uninspiring: suits, black trousers, pencil skirts and sensible shoes are all the staples in my friends' work wardrobes when I asked them about it over Christmas.

One friend said she'd love to inject some colour but found it hard to find pieces that weren't dull. So, I took to the high street to see how we can change up our work wear for the new season ahead; here are my top three tips. Mix, mix and mix some more

• Mix, mix and mix some more

The key thing to get your work wear wardrobe off to a good start is to pick out the pieces you like wearing and are still in good condition for another season or two. You are looking for a pair of trousers, skirt  (either/or, depending on what you like to wear), tops and blouses and a good jacket or two. Then we need to see if these can be mixed and styled up to create more than one look.

Look at your colour options; is everything black, navy or grey? Then decide what colours need to be worked in. Navy looks lovely with pink, red, lemon and even colour blocked with other shades of blue. Black is the easy, default choice for most of us. Now make a list of what I call the "bring together" pieces to wear with your foundation items.

• The basics need to be plain

Keeping one of your key items in a basic, or neutral colour is a good idea, so you can style in an array of shades to match these. You can even add some print. The most efficient way to do this is to look at your suits and separates in solid colours, then pop in tops and even jackets in other colours.

For example, if you have a nice black skirt that you love, then try a floral print with that. Come summer you can wear a white linen blazer over it to bring the whole look together. For now, you can even go for a nice bright knit. Cerise pink and black was always a favourite combination for me when I was working in finance.

• Remove those shoes

Do you have ten pairs of shoes under your desk? When was the last time you wore all of them? Truth is, you don't need to have ten pairs of work shoes, you don't even need five. Two is plenty and having two heel heights is a good idea too. Something a bit lower if you are out and about and something higher for longer length skirts and trousers to keep you in proportion. So when you get back to the office, have a cull of the office shoes, will you?

Now tell us, what do you like to wear to work? Do you struggle to find anything different?