Style tips: Clever shopping

The capsule wardrobe
Having rid of the dead wood from your wardrobe, stand back and asses what you have. What you should be aiming for is the concise capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is a wardrobe of staples that work with alternate pieces for a multitude of occasions. There are no orphan pieces in a capsule wardrobe because everything should work in harmony. Before setting your foot into a shop, make a list of the potential gaps and opportunities, this way you are more likely to stay focused on the task at hand and less likely to fall victim to impulse buys which got you into a muddle in the first place.
Follow the 3 rule
Every piece in your wardrobe should work with three other pieces in your wardrobe and each piece should also work for three different occasions. I call this the 3 rule. With the right accessories you should be able to change the look of every piece in your new capsule wardrobe to suit work, casual and party. Accessories in your new wardrobe should account for about 30 per cent. These are shoes, bags, scarves, jewellery, hats, gloves. They are crucial to changing the look of your garments. Accessories are also your personal signature across an outfit. When shopping, ask yourself about every garment you are tempted to buy, does this work with three other pieces in my existing wardrobe and can it work for three occasions. If the answer is "no', then maybe it's not for you, unless you are making a new style departure and you are going to buy other pieces to make it work.
No more sale victim
When entering into an exhilarating sale situation, it is easy to fall prey to the so-called bargain. But bargains in a sale situation can be the most expensive mistakes you can make. We all have those guilty pieces that stay in our wardrobe, unworn, because we bought them on impulse in a sale and now feel too guilty to get rid of them. Well, if you followed my wardrobe audit rules those pieces should be gone. And because you now have a clear sartorial mind you won't fall victim to sales any longer. When entering into a sale situation now, ask yourself "Would I be very, very tempted to buy this piece if it was full price?" If the answer is lukewarm or "no", simply walk away. Also ask yourself about the piece in questions, "Does it abide by the three rule?"

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