J

ANUARY. Ugh. You don’t need me to tell you that it is the most depressing month of the year. It’s cold, it’s dark and Celebrity Big Brother is on TV... again.

And it is about now that I start thinking the best way to shake this mid-winter malaise is to buy stuff.

However, with latest figures suggesting that UK shoppers have more than £10bn worth of clothes at home that they don’t wear (I think half of them are in my mum’s wardrobe), maybe it’s time we got more choosy about what we spend our money on.

So, with that in mind, here are my 10 rules for mindful shopping, lessons learned over more than 25 years of fab finds, shocking frocks, brilliant bargains and evil shoes. THE Olivia Palermos and Chiara Ferragnis of this world might look amazing posing outside fashion shows/at parties but if there is more to your life than getting dressed up and having a pal take 174 photos of you until you find one that is ‘just right’ – like having an actual job – these people are bad for your wardrobe. NO matter how cool you think they look on ‘influencers’ (see above) mom jeans are A Bad Idea. There is a vast difference between looking ‘cool’ and looking ‘good’. If in doubt opt for the latter.