Beat the credit crunch with style

Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear? Do you wear 20% only of what is in your wardrobe?

We asked colour me beautiful to give us their advice on how to keep our style when we haven’t got the cash.

When costs are rising many of us need to review our personal spending. However, tightening belts doesn’t mean doing without a little retail therapy, you just need a little sartorial know-how.

Be ruthless

Before rushing to the shops and spending money you don’t have, now is the time to take a long hard look at what you’ve already got and spend some time working out what you wear and why. Is it the colour, the style or both? Looking at your wardrobe in this way can save you a fortune on poor impulse purchases.

Learn about what styles and colours suit you – ask your friends or even splash out on an image consultation – it will be worth every penny in the long run.

Have a good rummage in your wardrobe. Do you really need another pair of jeans or “safe” black trousers? Maybe you’ve forgotten about that top you bought last summer and haven’t worn yet!

Spend an afternoon bagging up items that no longer fit or you’ll never wear again and give to friends or charity. Be careful though; sometimes what’s needed might be as simple as some new buttons to rejuvenate an outfit. A few alterations can give it a new life and is certainly worth investigating if the garment was originally an investment piece.

Focus on Accessories

The good news is that the love affairs we have had with bags are over. There have been so many “must have” bags that now they are just plain bags, and you don’t need a fancy label in order to fall in love with one.

Sandals and pumps are other items that rarely warrant you spending a fortune – you know you’ll want more next year so grab the bargains on the high street. Resole with rubber to make them last a little longer.

And when it comes to jewellery, bangles are definitely in. The more the better so try wearing several all together. There are many inexpensive options on the market.

We all like quality items, but they come at a price, so the sooner you can discover the advantages of combining fashion bargains with the good stuff, the better. Now is the time to do it as summer fashion lends itself to seasonal fun.

Top tips

• Don’t ignore the big supermarkets and Primark – perfect for updating your summer wardrobe at a small cost.
• Look out for sales and discounts in the department stores.
• Sign up to your favourite retailers’ websites – they often send discount vouchers.
• Summer fashion doesn’t have to be long lasting nor the best quality – check out market stalls for fun weekend clothes and beachwear
• Vintage never goes out of fashion. If you’re a canny shopper you can pick up some bargains in good charity shops
• Make sure that what you buy isn’t dry clean only – this can double the cost of the garment!