Coleen’s Real Style. Coleen Rooney

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      Dress, Boohoo.com.

       Dresses are a one-stop route to looking good. I just pull one on and I’m ready to go.

      The way to prevent a fuddy-duddy look, though, is to just go for a style that doesn’t look too much like something your nan might wear. (But having said that, my nan always looks great.) No, what I mean is, be careful not to go for something that might make you look old before your time. Again, the best trick of all is picking clothes to suit your body shape. Once you’ve got that sorted, there’ll be no stopping your girly side taking over.

      The thing I love most about wearing dresses is the fact that they always look so pretty and feminine; and that is exactly how I feel when I wear one. All the big designers create loads of lovely new dresses for their summer and winter collections these days and there’s always something for everyone and every occasion – from draped, Grecian styles to crisp, cotton shifts and show-stopping diva numbers.

      So this chapter is about revealing some of the best dress looks of the moment – from day dresses to party dresses, including those classic shapes to suit any style. Here I’m going to help you discover which dresses might be best for you; some looks you might want to try, and some great little styling tips that I’ve picked up along the way.

      Five classic dress styles

      Whether you like feeling girly as can be or prefer to keep things nice and simple, there’s a dress to suit your shape. Here are five of my favourite styles:

      THE PROM

       Perfect for real girly girls

      All the glossies talk about how fashion has become ultra-feminine over the past few years, and looking at the prom styles by the likes of Chanel, Luella and Beyond Retro, I can see what they mean. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Sex and the City’s Carrie pulls off the look so well. I just love when Carrie steps out of the door of her New York apartment in a big-skirted vintage dress, with her coat or jacket hanging casually over her shoulders. There’s a real edginess to this look.

      Getting the fit right

      Prom dresses are all about the waist, so really, as long as the middle part of your dress is clasped in with a big belt or structured band, it’s a look that will suit most figures. The reason that prom dresses are so girly is that the shape focuses on all the feminine parts of our bodies: the waist, neck, shoulders and lower legs. It’s a particularly good look for curvy shapes. If you are not too confident about your upper arms, do what I do and use a scarf as a pretty wrap across your shoulders.

      Fitting the prom dress into your style

      The prom dress look can be a little over the top, so if you don’t want to go too far with it, I’d choose a fullish skirt that doesn’t have any bouncy layers of netting, and wear a little cardi on top. You can create a more nipped-in look at the waist with a big, wide belt, and definitely wear heels – well, I always do – as you need the extra lift to balance out the volume of the skirt. If you keep your legs bare (with a hint of colour), it looks more elegant, but matt tights will do for winter. If you want to accessorize, I’d pick something that’s not too fussy, as the dress is a statement in itself. Go for classic jewellery: drop earrings will make your neck look longer, especially if you don’t wear a necklace. And ask your nan if you can have a good rummage through her jewellery box.