There are some times when you need to buy a new dress, some work trousers or a new pair of shoes. This is either because you’ve wrecked it in the wash, become fed up with your current wardrobe or just fancy a splurge. However, if you try to plan when you update your wardrobe you could save yourself a small fortune and bag huge bargains of up to 70% off. We’ve put together some top tips on what to buy and when so you can cut the cost and get more clothes for your money.
Buy clothes a season in advance
If you love to keep up with the latest trends it doesn’t mean you have to wait each season to update your wardrobe. By watching the catwalks around the world you can see which trends will be hitting the high street and then plan create your own outfits from existing styles available. For example, the
monochrome trend took the UK by storm in 2012, but it was one of the easiest trends to replicate with standard black and white pieces in fashion stores nationwide. This removes the need to pay for lines specifically in trend collections and will help to ensure you’re already ahead of the current trends.
Buy fashion essentials 6 months in advance
Fashion out of season needs to be shifted as retailers know that it’s dead in the water otherwise, due to upcoming trends that will replace the styles. This means you can get huge savings for example on winter fashion when the Spring/Summer season ranges launch. By stocking up on winter essentials like hats and scarves at this point, you’ll be ready for Autumn/Winter. The trick here is to go for fairly plain, non-trend colours and simple cuts and fits.
Buy fashion when you should be buying other things
This sounds strange as there are some essentials like underwear, shirts etc we may need to buy at any time during the year. However, for higher end items try and shop for fashion when most people are spending money on other things, such as holidays or Christmas presents. For example, August is often a great time as many people have only budgeted for a summer getaway or activities during the school holidays. By planning in advance and putting some cash aside for clothes shopping, you’ll be able to pick up some great bargains without it eating into your holiday money. December is another good time to shop (as long as it’s not just for Christmas party wear and dodgy jumpers) as again most people have set aside money for gifts and festivities, rather than a new wardrobe.
Wait until the end of each quarter
Fashion retailers have a range of sales targets to hit which will be broken down by year, by quarter and by month. The focus is often on the sales for that quarter, for example January – March or July to September. This is even more the case with larger companies which have to report sales to the markets (if they’re a PLC) like
Marks & Spencer as poor sales can result in a drop in share price. The result of this is that if sales for the quarter haven’t been as strong as expected, fashion retailers and brands will often slash prices in order to increase revenue to make their figures look better. You’ll often see this in the form of Mid-Season sales and by waiting until the last week of each quarter you can save 70% in some cases. If you prefer to shop monthly, wait until at least the 25th of the month as many stores will also discount stock after pay-day when we all have more money to spend.
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