“I am against fashion that doesn’t last. I cannot accept that you throw your clothes away just because it is spring.”

Coco Chanel

Women  will spend more than £1billion in the sales – on clothes they will never wear, research reveals.

In total, Britons spend some £4.1billion in sales on goods that are never used, at an average cost of £85.60 a person.

Women are the worst offenders, with 10 per cent of their average wardrobe consisting of clothes and accessories bought in sales but never worn – and more than half of the items still have the price tag on.

Some love sales – others hate it – some are impulse buyers – some spend more than they can afford.

No matter which group of shoppers you fall into – if you are somewhere in between – maybe it is time to have a more systematic approach or just keeping the following things in mind when you  go shopping the next time.

Budget: How much can you spend per month?

It is not worth going overboard and being always in debt with your credit card. So, if you are an impulse buyer or someone who plans their shopping trip- know always how much you can spend when hitting the shops.

Investment buys- Classic clothing

Investment pieces or classic clothing will vary according to your life style and personality, but they are classic or investments buys because they can be worn most of the year – independent of which season- or which trend is dominating that year or season. They can be worn for years without looking dated! Important here is to keep focus on the quality and buy the highest you can afford. So, make the math here – how many times will you wear this item in that season – year – or years? The cost per wear is much lower – the more you wear something, the less expensive it becomes!

Shop only when you feel good about yourself
Hitting the shops when feeling low about yourself in order to do some shopping rehab ends up most of the times in a bad experience. You will be ending up buying just for the thrill but with any thought about it, so they joy will last only for a moment and the end will be even more depressing because you spend money on something you don’t want and will end up returning it in the end. Or you will end up even more depressed because you can ‘t find anything you like or you don’t like anything on you when you look at your image in the mirror. You are much better off buying yourself some nice chocolate to make you feel good.

Dress comfortably
Don’t bother with a full make up or great hair do- it will just get in the way while trying on clothes – look nice and at ease with yourself. Also wear clothes that are easy to get in and out of otherwise you will start to loose interest of trying something on, because it takes too long or it is just to difficult to get out of your clothes. Don’t forget to wear as well comfortable shoes when going shopping – and take the shoes with you that you will be wearing with the garment your buying

Shop when the stores are least crowded
Some people can’t avoid to hit the shops when everyone goes because of work, kids or other commitments. But if you can try to go when less people are in the shops, so you don’t have to queue at the changing rooms, can move around the shops easily and see the garments in full display.

Know the store’s return policy
Each store or department store has different return policy- some return your money and in others you just can exchange it for another garment. The normal return policy is two weeks, but can go up as well up to 30days. Be careful when shopping in sale, because most often they cannot be returned at all!

Shop only for things which work for you!
Know your colour palette, your body shape, scale and proportion, so that you know what fabrics, patterns and styles will look great on you. That doesn’t mean you should not experiment, but also you should be honest what works for your figure and colouring. Be true to yourself and shop for the body you have got and not the one you want! It is all about feeling good now in the clothes you buy and not when you will loose some weight then and there! It just will end up in tears because this garment will come with a “but” and will put pressure on you and so the beloved item will turn into a be hated one instead. Last but not least the clothes you buy need to be for real life- don’t try to buy items you might wear but don’t know yet or because they look so pretty but you won’t wear them so much because they might be not comfortable. Keep remember looking good is all about feeling good that means when you are in pain e.g. because trousers are too tight or heels are too thin then you don’t feel like yourself and therefore you don’t look yourself- it’s going always to show how comfortable you are in your clothes!

• Items, which are always useful to have:

Click here to shop more for bargains- remember you will see all reduced prices once you clicked on the buy button and you are diverted to the retailers shop.

Have a nice day,

Michaela