Monochrome Skinny with neon tipping waist belt, £8, Sizes XS-XL, ASOS

As you well know by now the savviest way to update your look season by season is by some smart accessories which will transform looks and give them a new seasonal spin and breath fresh air into some of your old favourites.

Who would have thought that that a teeny tiny belt such as this one from ASOS would be such a trend titan for summer 2013 but with its monochrome print and neon yellow accent, it is exactly where your waist should be. It perfectly taps into the Sixties trend that reigned on the catwalks.

Not only will it draw focus to an enhance your waist it is also the perfect sartorial icing for this season’s looks. Team with your summer dress for to enhance its hourglass effect or with your blue trousers and printed blouse to really make the blue “pop.” Team with your A-line skirt, soft tailored jacket an wedges for an ode to this season’s Sixties feel, with the Louis Vuitton shows most in mind.  In fact it will work with anything, trend looks easily executed at the snap of a buckle.

Roksanda Illincic Check Embellished Dress, £85, Sizes 8-18, Debenhams

Roksanda Illinic’s s/s13 catwalk collection was a blazing spectrum of colour and a showcase of experiments with texture and colour. One catwalk dress was composed of various-coloured tweeds and a neon yellow accent sleeve. A wonderful thing about Designers at Debenhams is that you can tap into this technical vivacity and buy your own fantasy piece that is actually extremely wearable and workable for the real world.

A perfect example is this dress with its intriguing colour combination (with the of the moment colour – neon yellow) and vibrant embellished effect yet extremely wearable silhouette giving an hourglass shape. Not forgetting the great price point of course!

A great dress is a staple for any wardrobe and the surface interest and colour palette here keep it just left of conventional so it enhances your femininity without getting all girly about it. This subtle knock-out of a dress will serve you well come night and day; summer and winter.

Team with your monochrome belt, wedges, sunglasses and perspex clutch for a fresh, sophisticated look. Slip on your cocoon coat for those cooler moments and add in the statement necklace for added style points. Also try with the lace top over the top for a surprising twist. The dress will also look chic with your soft blazer jacket and collar.

Rocha.John Rocha Top, £35, Sizes 8-22, Debenhams

Lace has been on the agenda for past few seasons, but last summer’s candy-coated outings have been replaced by a more demure and darker crochet-cousin.

The aesthetic is a sophisticated and sultry Mediterranean vibe, just think of those Dolce & Gabbana summer ads and you’re pretty much there. The crochet look has a (surprisingly) seductive undercurrent which also taps into summer’s Sheer and Gothic trends.

This top from Debenhams is a great way to master peekaboo fashion in a classy way as well as giving structure to your shape and this top will also work as a great cover-up for the beach for a touch of your own Italian beach-chic.

Your capsule wardrobe this season is very much in tune with the minimalist and pared-back looks that were all over the catwalk. Yet adding in a little texture is a great way to bring some rich flavour to your wardrobe and mix things up a bit. Team with many items in your wardrobe for an instant, effortless sophistication that will give those Dolce & Gabbana Glamazons a run for their money!

Try teaming with your blue trousers, printed courts and statement necklace for elegance amplified. Additions to this look could also be the soft tailored jacket or you could also add in the shell top underneath for an individual print twist.

Jane and I have been working with Debenhams again. This time the ‘Diversity Look Book,’ as it was affectionately named (which featured in a recent Standard News ) allowed us to stage a party (actually it was a casting) with wheelchairs users, Paralympians, and of course the traditional standard and non-standard lovlies, in the Personal shopper area in Debenhams Oxford Street.

We worked with an amazing group of women who all dazzled in their outfits. And that’s the thing…a broader range of bodies is more exciting not less aspirational as some retailers seem to think. Philomena Kwao (top picture: right) is one of a growing number of curvacious models who, are at last enjoying more prominence.

Since meeting Paralympian Stef Reid (above) in a BBC news hospitality suite, I knew I wanted her in our shoot, meanwhile Jane, who had already worked with winner of Britain’s Missing Top Model – Kelly Knox (below) got on the phone  straight away to invite her.

Tess Montgomery is a leading petite model and Jada Sezer – face of recent Plus Size Fashion Weeks (below) were next to join our team. How refreshing to be able to showcase swimwear on Jada’s size 18 curves.

And of course a shoot wouldn’t be complete with out Diva’s like Valerie Pain and Maxine Smith. As you know we love working with them and take them on How to Look Good roadshows.

Our models who range from sizes 8 through to 18, are wearing clothes by Jenny Packham, Jasper Conran, Roksanda Illincic, Marios Schwab and John Rocha and in line with Debenhams code around minimal airbrushing, these women appear in real life as you see them here. Will they inspire you to visit Debenhams and see what they have on the rails for your shape? Remember their Oxford Street personal Shopping area is new and improved and their personal shoppers are a great group of fashion enthusiasts. The service is free too.  Let me know what you think.

Debenhams have previously displayed size 16 mannequins, featured a variety of body shapes in their Principles campaign including Shannon Murray one of UK’s best known wheelchair bound models; featured 3 glamourous older models in an exclusive campaign: Style LIST and last year won Enlightened Retailer Award at the first Body Confidence Awards launched from Parliament last April.

Photography Chris Floyd

If there’s one trend you’ll enjoy for summer, it’s The Check! Simple squares make a pattern that never really goes out of fashion, and thanks to Marc Jacobs, who went all out with a catwalk statement for the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2013 collection, we have a high street offer awash with  print-tastic checks.  Keep the look  to clean lines and minimal shapes and you are laughing.

Picture Twiggy in her 60s heyday, with huge lashes, a beehive and a very simple shift dress – this could be the the type of thing to get you started. Prioritse large bold checks for a curvaceous body and smaller shapes for slender or petite bodies. This site’s free body shape books will help you decide which is right for you.

But there is no need to limit yourself to dresses. Trousers, jackets and of course accessories will do the trick. Updating your wardrobe with just a splash of check, will keep you current. Jacobs covered everything from smart and chic cigarette pants, flowing maxi skirts to crop tops in the eye-catching print, but you don’t need to, just pick on focus point for your pattern placement and keep other separates plain and simple.

When it comes to colour, take your pick. White squares are essential, but play around with other hues for some variety. Black and white makes a bold, dramatic statement of course, but you can follow in the footsteps on Louis Vuitton and try brown, green or even bright yellow.

Author Bio:  Lauren Belfield is  a 24 year old freelance writer based in Manchester and graduate of Manchester University. Lauren is an extreme dress addict with a particular love of Maxi Dresses from Missguided.