Style Tips for the new decade

We have had the mad spending trend - cheap and cheerful and slapped onto the credit card. We've adjusted to the "make do and mend" and "swap with thy neighbour" trend. Maybe now it's time to take a deep breath and go back to sensible shopping. Buying pieces that enhance your wardrobe, fit perfectly, emphasize ALL the right bits and work their magic though out your life.

Roland Mouret (designer of the much-coveted and copied "Galaxy dress") offers such no-nonsense "style pearls" in this month's "Elle" that I feel duty bound to share some of them with you:

. "Shopping is like going to the gym - it's not natural! you have to train yourself to be good at it"
. "Whatever you spend, it has to look at least 10 times more expensive than the amount you paid"
."There are two extremes: trying to to be trendy or playing it safe. Glamour is somewhere in the middle"

It is now your time to ditch EVERYTHING that robs you of your confidence in some way, and work harder at finding those items that you want to wear time and time again. Buy it because it is 100% right for you. Do not compromise and buy a cheaper version that falls short, it will end up as one the "1 out of 4 items that a woman has in her wardrobe but never wears" and that does not make good financial sense.

So what I am really saying here is - you now have permission to buy EXACTLY what you want - and that has to be a good thing. It will be your reward for exercising your shopping muscle and honing your spending habits. Marvellous!