Stylist Janette Lenk from The Fashion Vault thinks it's do-able, if you focus on the key pieces and add a touch of flair.

She said the focus should always be on the piece that everyone will see.

"The main must-have piece is always a coat," she said.

"You can update your look with different styles of coat – this season there's the military style coat, the biker coat and the bomber jacket – and then styling them up differently."

As for underneath the coat, you can keep warm but still look chic by layering up thinner pieces – particularly cotton shirts and cardigans.

"It's all about being able to unwrap yourself when you're at a bar, at dinner, or at work, and then being comfortable," she said.

"But when you're walking to and from there – you've really gotta have those layers on."

Layering also extends to scarves, headwear, gloves and jewellery, which are not only fashionable, but also completely necessary Canberra additions.

The fashion in stores is sticking to the traditionally dark winter colour palette, and Lenk said an easy way to make an outfit pop is through a touch of colour on your lips or nails.

"I'm seeing a lot of women experiment with lipsticks and that's something easy you can use to accentuate your outfit – there's lots of browns, mulberry and purple in the shops," she said.

"And nail polish is another easy one."

And for the fashion-conscious gents, Lenk suggests layering leather and wool and mixing them with shades of dark purple, berry and brown to keep the look on trend.

"Men's fashion is getting serious these days in Canberra and they love to rock a scarf and gloves," she said.

"They are still conservative with the plain block colours and prints. But the men of Canberra are experimenting more with layering."

A good pair of boots are also a winter stalwart, and this year's range has seen a welcome move away from towering heels. Or you can opt for on-trend over-the-knee boots for a double dose of style and layering.

"I recently bought over-the-knee Wayne Cooper boots and they're great because you can just throw them on over pants or jeans and they're stylish – but you get that extra warmth as well."