Money's too tight to mention this winter season and so I thought that it would be useful for you to have a basic checklist of what to buy. You know, the five absolute essential basics that you can combine with your existing basic wardrobe to make sure you are relevant and stylish this season.

First up, there are five items for the girls and a list of basics you should already have in your wardrobe.

1. Boyfriend jacket

The boyfriend jacket is this winter's definitive item to enable you to look contemporary — it will also keep you warm and is a comfortable alternative to the fitted jacket or the trenchcoat.

Let's be honest, it's not that cold in South Africa, so a couple of layers under a jacket should suffice for most of the winter. Buy smart — a boyfriend jacket is less expensive than a coat.

A boyfriend jacket is essentially a men's jacket. It's worn long and open and the sleeves are usually pushed up or rolled up to expose the lining.

Wear the jacket undone and over your skinny jeans, peg-leg trousers or with a shorter floral frock for some nice contrast of masculine and feminine.

It's all about balancing these this season so make sure you think through your look each time or risk looking a bit chunky and manly.

For those of you who like to show off their defined waist — and if you've got it, you really should flaunt it — throw a belt on over the jacket, but still don't do up the buttons.

Pop your hands in the pockets to make sure your fingers keep toasty, while at the same time rendering it all quite insouciant. Perfect!

Boyfriend jackets haven't exactly flooded into the stores in SA yet, so do what I did and buy in the men's wear department. Good quality is available at pretty easy-to-swallow prices. Alternatively, seek out the original '80s version at a vintage store or simply borrow from your man for free.

2. Woolly knits

This season the most scrumptious knit wear is available. Start with a thin-knit, extra long cardigan. You wear this tonally with dresses and tights or with your wide leg trousers. And you always belt it, open, over your other layers. Black, brown or nude are the best colours to go for this season.

Then consider a lovely grey cashmere knit hoodie — the most luxurious way to do casual chic this season. Again, wear it long and loose over your leggings or harem pants on wintery Sunday afternoons next to the fire.

There are also some very gorgeous chunky knits around this season but I'm going to issue a word of caution — the bigger and chunkier the knit, the less likely it will be to look good on anyone.

Smaller folks will be dominated by the knit and larger ladies will just be adding bulk to their frame. So proceed with caution when it comes to the chunky knit and you should be fine.

3. Boots or heels

You should get one new pair of hooves this season. You have a choice of either going with the flat riding boot — to be worn over leggings and harem pants, but not your jeans (that, my dear ladies, is no longer in fashion, unless you get those really hoochie over the knee boots. Otherwise it is sadly, a very dated look. Oh and don't get me started on the Uggs. Put. Them. Away!).

Alternatively, you can go for the cage shoe heels. This is a shoe boot with laser cut-outs or straps instead of one solid piece of leather. You can wear them with opaque tights in black or contrast colours. You can wear these with your peg leg trousers, your skinny jeans or your frocks — all work equally well.

4. Peg-leg trousers

This lovely style of trouser is oh-so comfortable. It has roomy pleats at the top and it narrows to a small ankle with a very slight turn up. Worn stylishly, this can disguise a larger bum, and balance out swimmers shoulders — but to accomplish this you have to be rigid in your fit. It must fit perfectly and have a maximum of two pleats on each side of the zip.

You wear peg-legs with all the other items that are hot this season, or very simply with a plain jersey knit top and killer cage heels.

5. Over the body bag

There is no real 'it' bag this season — a mark of the times and of the way in which styles move on. But if we were to pinpoint one key trend it would be the move toward wearing your handbag across the body. You can only do this with a smaller bag with a long strap, so it is possible that a new one will need to be purchased for this season. Again, don't ignore the possibility of the vintage shop for the best bargain in this style.

Wardrobe basics for winter:

• Long sleeve t-shirts for layering — in black, grey, brown and white


• Skinny jeans or dark trousers


• Wide-leg black trousers


• Harem pants — MC Hammer once said, "you can't touch this", but this winter you can.


• Leggings — but make sure they reach the ankle or have a stirrup this season.


• Belts for the waist in various colours and thicknesses.


• Dresses — lovely lightweight summer frocks can be reworked for winter with layering underneath and cardigans/jackets on top.


• Black leather biker jacket.


• Converse All Star trainers.


• Feminine blouses — in silks or with some bow detail.

I hope that this gives you a list to follow for this season. Keep it simple and pared down and you will fit right in with the current fashion trends.

For more information on Robyn and photos of people in great outfits, go to: http://styleguidecapetown.blogspot.com