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The woman behind every other woman's wardrobe reveals how she gets dressed.

London-based COS is one of the few high street brands with the ability to inspire a near cult-like following.

Even more impressive, it has done so with little fanfare. There are no celebrity collaborations or big name campaigns, just simple, clean, timeless designs that women love to wear. (To give you an example of just how beloved the brand is, I got a sneak peek of the new Sydney store and was stopped by no fewer than three women on the street wondering how they too could get inside before today's opening.)

With the new Sydney store throwing its doors open at midday today, we sat down with COS head of womenswear Karin Gustafsson to find out about the new collection, her work wear essentials and which pieces she'll be wearing this season.

Describe the COS aesthetic for people who aren’t familiar with the brand.

We offer a collection that is timeless but at the same time modern and always very functional. The collection will also offer something for every occasion and we like the garments to feel really versatile, to have that extra functionality, like perhaps pockets on a dress.

Often we take something simple like a white shirt and reinvent it with a new style or finish.

What inspired the most recent collection?

One of the key influences was this design movement called Tropical Modernism, which took place in the '60s in Sri Lanka, and an architect called Geoffrey Bawa.

It was a very similar aesthetic to Scandinavian Modernist architectures. Obviously the setting is very different, the nature is very different, but there's a really nice line to his work.

He blurred the line between the indoor and the outdoor, so that the inside of the house is almost outside.

How do you think COS fits with the Australian lifestyle?

People here are quite casual, cool, effortless, and I think that's very much a style that we embrace. We offer a lot of quite easy styles and our dresses are very adaptable, so you can wear it in many different ways.

Describe your personal style.

I'm quite basic. I like quite understated pieces, I tend to wear the more classic pieces from the collections. I think with time you change; my tastes are very different now than when I was 20. I really want to buy things that I know I will wear. What three things should every woman have in their work wardrobe?

A great shirt, for sure. You need good trousers – men's inspired trousered are really great. It's nice to wear with a t-shirt and you can have flats for the day and then heels for the night with a clutch.

If you could dress anyone who would it be?

I just really love it when I go to school with my son and see women wearing the collection, that's a really nice moment. The normal working woman buying our collection and enjoying wearing it.

Whose style do you admire?

I really like Chanel. I like her workmanship, the fact that she didn't start out drawing – she always worked on the model with fabric. What she did for women was so great and the pieces are so timeless.

What do you keep in your bag?

I like to have Elizabeth Arden lip balm, the one with the tint, they keep your lips healthy and just give a little bit of colour.

Best markets to shop in London?

Portobello is still really good, Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane. Portobello starts with antiques, then towards the top they have a lot of specialist things. You can find really great pieces – things that have been used in films, a lot of French workwear. I bought a really lovely, 50-year-old sweater.

What was the last thing you purchased?

At the airport I bought my favourite perfume, Hermes Voyage.

What is the key to finishing a look?

Your personal touch, it could be lipstick. I also think lace-ups are a great addition to any look. Shirt and traousers, both by COS; Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Lip Gloss, $35, David Jones; Hermes Voyage, 100mL EDT, David Jones.

COS Sydney opens at 5 Martin Place, Sydney NSW at 12pm 19 November 2015.