You might have heard the saying:"Clothes maketh the man" which originates from the play Hamlet by the world famous playwright Shakespeare. It's true that what you wear can influence how people see you and how you feel about yourself. Everyone knows the joy of feeling confident in an outfit they love.
If you are smart you can buy make your wardrobe really work for you with a variety of tops to give you a new look for every occasion.
So what are the different types of tops for women?
One style which is particularly popular at the moment are corset top shirts which, with a bit of clever styling, can take you straight from the office to cocktail bar.
There's a corset top to suit any size or shape - you might even find the gentle compression smooths out any lumps and bumps. Whether you choose lace up or hooks and eyes, a corset top will look as good from the back as it does from the front.
You can get corset tops in a variety of styles and fabrics from summery prints to boned lace tops so from picnics and festivals to clubs and pubs, it's easy to find a top to suit the occasion.
They say:"If you've got it, flaunt it" and if that's your vibe then sexy cut out tops might be a good choice.
From simple off the shoulder crop tops to more interesting tops like this laced butterfly top from Solado you can reveal as little or as much as you feel comfortable with. Team a teasing top with an on trend blazer or a more casual top with smart trousers mix it up a little.
PU leather-look fabrics are great for day or night and they come in any number of colours. Pick a bright jewel colour to liven up denim jeans or add a floaty floral skirt to tie in with this year's BoHo look. Or dress up black PU leather trousers with a sophisticated and sexy cut out top.
The great thing about any type of top is that you can layer up for different looks and to prepare for any weather. Let's face it, weather forecasts are not always reliable and it's a brave soul who ventures out without a back up plan for an unexpected weather event.
Luckily this season's trend for big bags allows those who like to plan ahead to carry an extra layer, or to have somewhere to stuff their extra clothing if things heat up.
I like to wear a small cross body camera bag and a extra large leather tote so I can quickly grab my cards and phone. That's the one issue with those massive relaxed totes - you could get lost digging in the bottom trying to find your lip gloss!
Let's face it, tops don't take up much space in your overnight bag so even if you are taking minimal luggage to your favourite festival you can afford to cram in quite a few to keep yourself looking, feeling (and smelling) fresh! No-one likes to arrive at an event and find someone nearby is wearing the same thing so treat yourself to a few different tops and make sure you are unique wherever you are.
The same goes for airline carry one. With hold luggage costing almost as much as a small family car and carry on allowances shrinking by the minute it's becoming harder to be able to take enough stunning outfits for your long awaited holiday.
Pack smart using vacuum bags, or my personal fave, compression packing cubes which fit an extraordinary number of clothing pieces, especially if you tightly roll them. Top tip; rolling luggage items can also prevent creasing as well as taking up much less room that golden clothes.
Lay out your clothes before packing and see how many combinations you can make with the smallest number of pieces. For instance, choose denim shorts or a floral tiered skirt and see how many different tops you can team them with to make a week's worth of outfits for day and night without busting out of your baggage allowance.
Go through your wardrobe and find anything you don't wear and decide if that's because you dont like it any more, it doesn't fit or if you just don't have anything to go with. Then either donate or sell it or find something that does work well with it so it can finally come out of the closet and be shown off to the world.
Why not go now and explore the very bottoms of your drawers and back of the wardrobe and sort out all your stuff for summer. Identify what's tatty or unloved and replace those items with pieces destined to be your new favourite clothes helping you to feel and look good.