To be absolutely honest I am not someone who rushes out to buy a piece of designer clothing as soon as a collection is unveiled. I have lots of clothes and buy pieces when I want them, or have a special occasion coming up, rather than because I have to keep up with the latest trend. I find that being stylish does not mean having to be totally fashion conscious.

I believe that I am financially quite savvy and responsible I do not have much debt and have some savings, I do have credit cards but generally use them wisely and infrequently. I earn quite well but I like to be sure that my incomings are meeting my outgoings therefore I tend to be sensible when spending. I do not consider myself to be an impulse buyer, I like shopping but I do not do it endlessly or aimlessly.

When I go shopping I prepare myself well, I know how much I can afford to spend, I usually know what I need to spend for and I try to focus on the particular event or occasion that I am going to. I do spend quite a bit of time browsing through brochures from designer, sometimes online but mostly offline. I know what I like to wear and what looks good on me and I shop accordingly.

Perhaps it is because I am in my thirties and have experienced quite a lot that I am fully aware of the economic climate. I have found that I am not as willing to spend needlessly at present, I really have to justify my purchases, to myself no-one else, before I buy anything. I do tend to look at the designer sales. I would not say that I am a real “sale shopper”, I do not wait in queues when I know that there is a sale about to start. I will go to the sales and will consider what is available and buy what I need; I will not just buy because something is on sale.

In recent years I have become more circumspect in my shopping habits I will buy online or in sales, but more frequently I find myself buying in designer outlet retail parks. These are shopping areas that specialise in designer wear but most of the items are at much reduced prices. The reduction in prices may be due to the fact that the garments are a previous season, or end of line but this does not bother me. I buy what I want and know what suits me rather than what fashion or trends suggest I should buy.

I love designer label clothing but I do not buy something just because it is from a designer. I have to be sure that I really need item, that I can afford it, it is worth the money and that it is something that I will actually wear. Just because something has a designer label does not always mean that it is the best thing to buy, many so-called designer ranges are watered down version so the actual designer original.

There are very few items that translate from the designer catwalk into the designer ranges, not everybody can wear the designer items. Very often designers are creating their outfits for very specialised wearers and not everybody will be able to wear the item. I am perhaps one of these people, because I am small, you do not see very many five feet nothing models on the catwalk. I like to be sure that the item will suit me before I purchase it and if that means buying designer clothing in sales or outlet stores then I will do this.