STYLE SMALL PRINT:NOT ONLY can a stylish scarf amp up a relatively plain outfit, but it can add that much-needed layer of warmth now winter is here. Drape it over your shoulders, wrap it around your neck, loop it through itself – it's not how you wear it, it's what it says about you that counts

Star buy:This python-print tote bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs mixes so many of this season's trends – python print, mint green and a handy tote size that will fit all your stuff – that it would almost be wrong not to buy it. In fact, at €192, it would be sinful. See my-wardrobe.com

THE BIG QUESTION: Dresses over trousers – daring or disaster?

It was a 1990s trend that lasted far too long and worryingly, at the latest catwalk shows in New York, London and Paris, fashion editors – the taste makers of the industry – attempted to revive the dress-over-trousers look.

The pure joy of a dress is that it is an outfit in itself. It is the Monday morning go-to, for when putting together an outfit is too difficult. It is the Saturday-afternoon staple, for that lunch you’d forgotten about, when you find yourself with 10 minutes to dress and leave the house. It is the date-night fallback, for when skinny jeans aren’t cutting it and your favourite silk blouse is still at the cleaners.

At no point, however, should the joy of the dress be compromised by placing it atop a pair of trousers, easily the trickiest item of clothing to get right.

Should you happen to find the most perfect pair of trousers, the trousers to end all trousers, the trousers that fit right and don’t pucker at the hips or gather at the crotch, the trousers that eliminate, instead of causing, muffin top, treasure that moment. Don’t ruin it by bundling yourself up in a dress.

And remember; leggings work because they are basically seamless. There’s nothing that screams bad taste louder than the imprint of a waistband pushing through the front of a dress.

A reader writes

Hi Rosemary,

I’ve always shied away from the shorts-with-tights trend, but when I bit the bullet and tried a pair, I fell in love. One impulse purchase later, I’m now the proud owner of a pair of tweed shorts – and a dilemma. What do I wear with them to look dressy, without looking desperate?

– Aisling

Hi Aisling,

Welcome to the fold! Well done on breaking the rule of shorts for summer, tights for winter, although I can see how your enthusiasm might be stymied somewhat. Tailored shorts often throw up a very specific dilemma: how to look cool without appearing as if you’re on the way to the office in middle America circa 1999? Simple: avoid everything that appears office-suitable, and team your shorts with more unlikely bedfellows.

For footwear, think ankle boots or chunky wedges. Buffalo on Dublin’s Exchequer St and in Arnotts has a great selection of both or, if you’re feeling flathúlach, try Acne at Brown Thomas.

H&M has a black cotton T-shirt with a zippered pocket which drapes beautifully and would be a nice foil to the formality of your shorts, while this Asos geek chic T-shirt €26.09 carefully treads the line between irony and vulgar slogans. If you fancy taking a bit of a risk, Zara’s star-print blouse €39.95 is a gorgeous fit and nothing says cool like the devil-may-care daring of clashing prints.

If you’re set on going dressy, think about matching your tweed with some rich colour. Topshop’s sequin-sleeve tee €35 would give you scope to go all out while Reiss’s fuchsia batwing top €120 would be stunning paired with gold jewellery. Failing that, take the relatively safe but still cool option in Next’s neck-tie blouse €34, which will allow you to perfectly harness the androgyny trend while maintaining a ladylike edge.

Got a wardrobe-related reader query? Email rmaccabe@irishtimes.com