Ines Domecq, Marchioness of Almenara and creative director of her own brand, has built one of the most copied wardrobes in Spain in the space of a few years. Her designs have been worn by Queen Letizia, Sofia Palazuelo, Eugenia Martinez de Irujo and, recently, Queen Mary of Denmark. But the story is not in the title - she was considered one of the country's most stylish women well before she became a designer.

The most interesting part is that her style comes down to six rules, and not one of them costs money. That is the difference between style and purchasing power, a difference the fashion industry has spent decades trying to blur.

Polka dots as homework

If one pattern explains her entire universe, it is the polka dot. A white dress with black dots, navy pieces with small dots, outfits for weddings and for everyday - she has proved that a motif treated elsewhere as folklore can be elegant and contemporary. It is a way of keeping her Jerez roots without tipping into excess for a single moment.

The second constant is volume in blouses: pronounced shoulders, puffed sleeves, large ruffles. Not because of a trend, but because those cuts create a strong silhouette, lengthen the figure and add movement.

Black is not for funerals

While most people save black for special occasions, for her it is a pillar of the wardrobe all year round - evening dresses, two-piece sets, city looks, even summer outfits. For her, black is not severity but a tool for building looks with strength and presence. Her approach shows black never gets boring when you work with quality fabrics, impeccable cuts and well-chosen accessories.

Summer changes her register without changing her signature: kaftans, light dresses, bare shoulders, colourful prints. A more relaxed wardrobe, the same consistency.

The two colours that always work

She repeats the black-and-white combination season after season - in relaxed looks with a T-shirt and jumpsuit, and at weddings with guest dresses, wide-brimmed hats and hair ornaments. Another of her characteristics shows here too: she is not afraid of statement pieces or big volumes when the design earns it.

The sixth rule is the cheapest of all: sunglasses. They are part of her visual identity and turn up at almost every public appearance, in Madrid, in Jerez or on holiday.

The lesson for anyone reading a list like this with supposed envy is simple. Not one of the six rules requires access to fashion week. Dots, volume, black, two colours and sunglasses - that is a vocabulary anyone can learn. What you cannot buy is the consistency to speak that same vocabulary ten years running.