It's true that when it comes to fashion and the seasons, we are either Winter girls or Summer girls. Summer girls love pretty dresses, short shorts, wedge sandals, and lots of tanned limbs on show. Winter girls love fantastic coats, digging out their favourite boots, and covering up! It's impossible to be both types of girl. Fact.

I am, without any doubt, a Winter girl. I was born in the Winter, which might explain why, though more likely it's because I have Winter colouring (pale skin that has never tanned in its life, brunette hair and blue eyes, with lips that go translucent in the cold), and winter calves (always look better in tights).

I'm the kind of girl who gets excited when the nights draw in and it's cold in the morning when the alarm goes off. Yay, I can finally wear my favourite stuff, methinks.

This year I'm facing a whole new challenge though - it has only really become nippy today, and I'm 36 weeks pregnant. Little of last year's Autumn / Winter wardrobe still fits, and the challenge is seriously on with leg wear.

I have spent most of the late Summer wearing leggings (JoJo Maman Bebe were my favourite), but while I can still get away with them with boots, it's too cold for bare feet. I need proper maternity tights if I'm to wear shoes or pumps, and I've been on a mission to find a great pair.

So far I've tried three brands that are worth a mention; Emma Jane Support Maternity tights from Jojo Maman Bebe, WonderMummy's 75% cotton tights and Mamas & Papas's coloured maternity tights. The Emma Jane tights are very comfortable indeed, with a good-sized, shaped panel for the bump (I'm still wearing them at 36 weeks), and a lovely smooth feel. The black is properly black, even in colour, and did make my swollen calves feel slimmer and more shapely, which was a real result. They're a very good price too at £5.

I have two small niggles with these tights; one pair did go through at the toe quite quickly, and also some of the elastic snapped at the waistband, though I'm fairly certain that's because I washed them at too high a temperature by mistake. My overall verdict, though, is to definitely give them a go, I think you'll like them. Buy them online here

The WonderMummy tights are just fab, for days when I need to feel particularly cosy and want to wear a thicker cotton tight. They have an adjustable waist and a shaped panel at the front. I've worn and washed mine quite a few times now, and they've held up really well, in terms of comfort, colour and shape. I'm also still wearing these at 36 weeks and expect they will now fit until the end of the pregnancy. I've just noticed they're currently reduced from £15.99 to £12.79 at the WonderMummy website. Buy them online here

Mamas and Papas is the best source of coloured maternity tights I've found so far, for days when you fancy a change from black. I tried these blue nylon / elastane tights, and again they did what they said on the tin. I especially liked the deeper waistband on these as it's so important that maternity tights stay up and don't slowly crawl down the bump during the day. I'm pleased to say that all of the tights I tried stayed up well. The colour on these didn't run either. I'm thinking of trying the red pair next. At £8 a pop, they're a worthwhile investment as the right coloured tights can really make an outfit, especially if the rest of your maternity clothing is black or grey, like mine. Buy them here

A quick mention to Spanx tights from Tights Please. I have a pair in my drawer just waiting to be tried. These combine the glamour of a high-end tight, like Wolford for example, with the essentials of a maternity tight (pregnancy panel, thick cotton gusset etc). I'm just waiting for the right party to wear these, though they'd be a good option for the office too. More pricey at £24.99, but worth it for a treat? Buy them online here