Whether you’re dressed in Peacocks or Prada, your clothes – and you – will only look their best if you’re wearing the right underwear. Follow the five golden rules, and you’ll never go wrong.
• Never wear white underwear under white clothes – it always shows through. Instead, choose flesh tones, so the lines of your underwear disappear against your skin.
• Please, please don’t ever wear those plastic bra straps. They might be transparent, but they’re far from invisible. If you don’t like wearing a strapless bra, arm yourself with the stylists’ secret weapon, double-sided clothes tape (available from department stores). When you want to wear a strappy top or dress, just use the tape to attach its straps to your bra straps, so they don’t slide out.
• Never wear a lace-trimmed bra under a T-shirt or any kind of clingy, stretchy top; they’ll completely ruin the line of the top, and make it look cheap. Moulded bras (often sold as T-shirt bras) are the way to go here. They give a great shape and a nice smooth line, and you don’t have to worry about your nipples showing through.
• Thongs are often recommended as the best way to banish the dreaded VPL, but if you don’t find them comfortable, go for seamless ‘boy shorts’, cut straight across the leg. They work just as well, skim over any cellulite, and are a whole lot more comfy.
• A stretchy, flesh-coloured camisole top is the easy solution to tops that are a bit see-through, and knits with a big, open texture.

Want to make your clothes budget stretch a little bit further? The secret is knowing which bits of your wardrobe are worth spending money on, and where you can safely snap up a bargain. So if you’re starting to think about new clothes for  summer, commit these rules to memory, and you won’t go far wrong.

When to splurge
Jacket: Even with global warming, it’s rare that you can rely on day-long T-shirt weather during the British summer, so it’s worth spending a bit on a well-cut jacket, in a neutral colour. A really good one will make every outfit look fantastic.
Trousers: If you can find cheap trousers that flatter you, you’re a very lucky woman. Most of the cheaper High Street stores seem to cut for 12 year olds with no hips, and if trousers don’t fit and hang well, they’re not worth buying. So unless you happen to have the figure of a 12 year old with no hips, better to invest in one beautifully cut pair, in a good quality fabric, than six cheap ones you’ll never really feel comfortable in.
Jeans: Again, fit and cut are everything, and jeans are so versatile that it’s worth splashing out on a really fabulous pair that you’ll want to wear all the time.
Swimwear: If you’re going to be wearing something every day of your holiday, it deserves to be something fabulous. Paying a bit extra also means you’re less likely to find yourself in a row of 20 identical bikinis on the beach.
Bras: Lighter, skimpier clothes mean your shape’s more on show during the summer, so invest in a good, professionally fitted bra or two. With the right bra, you can look 5-10lbs lighter, and it’ll make even the cheapest T-shirt or sundress look ten times better.

When to save
Mac: A light mac is a great standby for drizzly days. You could splash out a couple of hundred pounds on a classic design that’ll last for ever, but though they’ll never date, they won’t exactly update your look either. Head for the High Street, and you can pick up a great mac with this season’s details for about £60. It’ll give your summer wardrobe an instant update, and at that price, it doesn’t have to last forever.
T-shirts: Every summer, magazines run ‘tried and tested features on the classic white T-shirt, and I’ve never yet seen one where the most expensive brands came out on top, especially after washing. The most important thing is to get a good fit for your shape, and you’re as likely to find that for £5 as for £50.
Sandals: Winter boots and shoes are worth splashing out on, because they’re usually styles that last from year to year, but sandals should be a fun, frivolous, one-season wonder. Try Primark and New Look for designer-inspired styles that are so cheap, you’ll want to buy one in every colour.
Bags: When it comes to leather, quality talks, but once the weather warms up, it’s nice to swap to light, summery straw and fabric bags, and that means you can get away with paying a lot less. Accessorize has a great selection, or check out the local markets when you go on holiday.

I was astonished to read recently that half of all adults would consider having cosmetic surgery, and of those, one in five women had thought about a boob job. Maybe it’s the influence of Hollywood, where even the skinniest stars seem to sprout enormous bosoms, but I’m amazed so many women would willingly go under the knife just to get a bigger bust.
As someone who’s not overly blessed in that department myself, I’ve learned over the years that if nature hasn’t given you curves, you just have to create them yourself – or at least, make the very best of the ones you’ve got. If you’re in the same position, why not try some of my tips?
Buy a good bra: I know lots of small-busted women prefer not to bother with a bra at all, but a really good one, in the right size, makes a massive difference. It lifts your bosom up, making it more defined and shapely, and makes your clothes hang better too. Most department stores have trained bra fitters, who can check your size (apparently 80% of us get it wrong on our own) and advise on the styles that’ll suit you best.
Choose the right necklines: Deep round or v-necks emphasise a bony chest, so avoid them, or wear with a camisole or vest underneath. Sweetheart necklines (like a square but with a dip in the centre) work well, creating the impression of  a cleavage, and asymetric and polo necks look great too.
Define your bust: When you’re choosing tops or dresses, shapes that make a feature of your bust can help add curves. The empire line, which is fitted across the bust and then flares out (think Jane Austen), is incredibly flattering on a smaller bust, and luckily there are loads of tops and dresses with this shape in the summer collections. Look out too for tops with a ‘milkmaid’ neckline, where fabric is gathered over the bust and then pulled in to a scoop or square neck – there are lots of these this summer as well. In fact, any kind of ruching or gathering in the bust area is great for smaller busts.
Show some skin: Delicate tops with spaghetti straps will look great on you, so don’t be afraid to wear them. Sleeveless vests that show off your arms and shoulders are a great choice too.
Get a little help: If you want to add inches, there’s never been a better choice of padded bras. At one end of the spectrum, lightly padded T-shirt bras give a nice smooth shape and a little bit of extra volume, while at the other, a fully padded bra can make your bust look a size bigger. If you want a cleavage, look out for bras that are more padded at the bottom of the cup -  they push up your natural assets and make the best of them. Again, a good bra fitter can advise on the best bra for the effect you want. Alternatively, take a tip from Trinny and Susannah (and countless models and actresses) and invest in a pair of silicone breast enhancers. Known as‘chicken fillets’ because that’s what they look like, they look and feel completely natural, and work inside most bra shapes. You’ll find them in most lingerie departments.

If you have any tips, please post a comment and let me know!

Coming soon to a fashion store near you: a mirror that gives fashion advice. Yes, I know it sounds like something out of Harry Potter by way of Star Trek, but apparently this reflective replacement for the bored best friend already exists. Called the Magic Mirror, it works by reading tags in the clothes you try on. Stand in front of it in your potential new outfit, and, like your very own shiny, flat Trinny or Susannah, it’ll suggest the perfect accessories to complement the look, and point out where to find them in the store. Slightly disappointingly, it doesn’t actually speak, only displays its tips on a screen, but then again, do you really want to stand in a changing room filled with robotic voices shrilling ‘What that needs is a nice pair of black heels’?

If you’re not sure the colour’s really you, it’ll tell you what other shades the clothes come in. Got the wrong size? It’ll helpfully summon the right one, without taking ten minutes to finish a conversation about how it was, like, really annoyed when Natasha said that, then rolling its eyes and looking you up and down with the words ‘A 12? Yeah, right’ written all over its face. Which makes it one up on most Saturday girls.

 If you need a bit more feedback, it’s also now possible to send live video footage of yourself in your new outfit, through your changing room mirror and straight to the mobile of your best friend, partner or mum, and then to get their comments displayed on the screen. All very 21^st century, I’m sure, but given the chances of unwittingly zapping a shot of myself in a bikini straight to my boss or my bank, I think I’ll be sticking with a message from the mirror.

Have a look at this other article I found in the Daily Mail and see what other mirror marvels are coming to our stores!

Why would I want a bikini in February?

That’s the question I found myself asking when I went shopping last week, and found that, in the coldest month of the year, the shops were stuffed with swimwear and sunglasses. It’s very similar to the question I asked myself in August last year, when I went out to buy some clothes for my summer holiday, and found nothing but coats and woolly jumpers. I know the fashion calendar’s always been a bit out of kilter with the rest of the world, but I’m sure that over the past few years, it’s got worse. The Autumn collections used to hit the shops around the beginning of September, when it was often too hot to wear them, but at least you knew the new season was just round the corner. But coats in July? That’s just bonkers.

Why do they do it? I know all the high fashion magazines say you should shop early to get the best things, but who wants to spend a couple of hundred pounds on a coat, and then stash it in the wardrobe for months? By the time you get to wear it, you’re already bored with it. And then there’s the problem of shopping for say, a sudden invitation to a garden party or wedding in August, when your chances of finding a pretty summer dress and some strappy sandals are round about the same as winning the lottery or marrying George Clooney. Not to mention trying to buy work clothes that look vaguely right for the season you’re living in, rather than the one three months away.

I keep reading in the papers that fashion retailers are having a tough time, so guys, here’s a little hint: if you put clothes in the shops somewhere around the time when we might feasibly be able to wear them, we’d be a little more inclined to buy them.

What do you think? Do you like shopping early for the new season, or do shops full of out of season clothes annoy you too? Post a comment and share your view.

Get the layered look – and beat the weather!
Well, the weather’s really gone nuts this month, hasn’t it? The other day, I went out all muffled up in a coat and scarf, only to find that by lunchtime, summer had suddenly descended and everyone was strolling about in T-shirts. Not wanting to be caught out twice, next morning I swapped the coat for a jacket, and guess what? Britain had been suddenly temporarily relocated to somewhere east of Siberia.

We seem to be getting all four seasons at once, and I don’t know about you, but my morning routine doesn’t really allow for a detailed consideration of the weather forecast before I even start getting dressed. Then there’s the fact that even when it’s cold outside, offices are often heated to sub-tropical temperature, so if you’re warm enough on the way to work, you’re sweltering when you arrive.

What’s needed are adaptable outfits that can cope with Siberia and Sorrento in the same day, and that means layering. Two or even three thin layers can be as warm as one chunky knit, because they trap warm air between them, and if it warms up, you can just peel one off. The key is to avoid the bag lady look by making sure the base layer is something close-fitting, like a vest, T-shirt or camisole, so there’s a bit of structure.

Gap is always good for this kind of look, and they’ve got some great short-sleeved and cap-sleeved fine knits that layer beautifully over their long-sleeved T-shirts. If you’re thrown by the idea of wearing long sleeves under short ones, try keeping the colours close together rather than contrasting – it’s a less scary way into the look. Another idea is to wear a jersey camisole under a shirt with a suit – it really freshens up a formal outfit, as well as adding a bit of extra warmth.

For the coldest days, you need some lightweight knitwear that can be layered over a shirt or T-shirt. Cashmere’s perfect for this time of year, because it’s warm but not weighty, so you can slip a coat or mac over the top without feeling like the Michelin man. M&S has a fabulous cashmere empire line cardigan, in grey, dark pink or a really pretty spring green, and I’ll also be looking at the Japanese store Uniqlo, which has branches springing up all over the country. They have a fantastic cashmere range at amazing prices (currently from around £20 for a sweater) and their spring colours are beautiful.

My other tip for the great British winter is to always carry a hat. Apparently 50% of body heat is lost through the top of your head, so if you’re caught out wearing that spring mac when you should have been wrapped up in your warmest coat, a hat can make all the difference. Accessorize has some great knitted berets that you can just squash into your handbag; with one of those and an umbrella, we can be ready for whatever the British weather throws at us!

Celebrity trendwatch: red heels 

Is it me, or is February the most miserable month of the year? It’s cold, it’s grey, Christmas is over and it seems ages till spring. If there’s ever a time when a girl needs a little something to cheer her up, it’s now – and flipping through the glossy mags, I’ve spotted just the thing. What could be a better pick-me-up than a pair of red heels? I saw them first on Victoria Beckham, as she tottered off to a New Year party in a stunning black lace dress; all very fabulous, I thought, but not exactly the kind of outfit I could wear to the office. But then there they were again, this time on Katie Holmes, worn with an immaculately-cut navy skirt and classic cream sweater –  by itself, the sort of outfit anyone might wear to work, but those red heels just transformed it. By the time I’d seen them on Anna Friel, with a very stylish monochrome ruffled top and sleek black pencil skirt, I knew I had to have a pair.   There are lots of them in the shops – LK Bennett’s come in red suede with a bow on the front and a lovely shapely heel, while Office have a pair a bit like Anna Friel’s, but with a delicate double strap. But as someone who wears black most of the time, I’m going to get enough of a shock looking down and seeing red shoes, without adding any extra details, so I’ll be going for the glossy, perfectly plain red courts from the Limited Collection at M&S. They’ll be perfect with a black suit for work, and a fantastic update for the little black dress as well. Not so great for running for the train, admittedly, but I could always try clicking my heels together to get me home….or does that only work if you live in Kansas?

Is it me, or is there something a little bit nuts about the idea of a January sale?

After spending the whole of December trolling round the shops, we’re all totally fed up with it – so what do we do as soon as Christmas is over? Head straight back in action, like lemmings with credit cards. It’s bonkers – and yet, I have to confess, I’ll be there too. I hate shopping, but I love a bargain, and with some shops offering 75% off this year, I can’t resist.

This year though, it’s going to be different. This year, there will be no impulse buys, nothing that would have been a bargain if only I had a different body/hair colour/life, and definitely, definitely, nothing that’s going to spend all year glaring accusingly at me from the back of the wardrobe, because it never really suited me but had 60% off (yes, fuchsia jumper, I do mean you).
So, I’ve done a Trinny and Susannah and been right through my wardrobe, to work out what I actually need. This is what’s on my list:

1. A good suit for work. For me, there’s something about putting on a really well-cut suit that lifts me straight out of ‘mummy mode’ and makes me feel like a working woman, and if it’s well made and in a good classic shape, I’ll wear it for years. That means it’s worth splashing out a bit, especially at sale prices, so I’ll be heading for the likes of Austin Reed or Phase Eight.
2. A stack of my favourite white shirts. Magazines always recommend buying investment pieces in the sales, but I think it’s just as useful to bulk-buy the basics. And having a good stock makes it so easy to get ready in the morning – one less thing to think about when I’m trying to get the girls out of bed, make breakfast and juggle the usual barrage of questions about lost book bags and whether God is in the larder of not!
3. Underwear. It’s not the best time to buy anything fancy – everything good disappears in the Christmas buying spree, so what’s left on the rails now is mostly orange, disturbingly scratchy, trimmed with feathers, or all three. But you can save a fortune stocking up on the everyday essentials at M&S or Debenhams.

Will I stick to it? We’ll see….but in the meantime, if you’ve got any great sales shopping tips, why not share them with all of us? Tell us how you track down a bargain, and where. And how about some confessions too – what’s the worst thing you’ve ever bought in the sales? It might make me feel better about that fuchsia jumper…