Be a savvy new season shopper…

Shopping for a wedding outfit last weekend, I was disheartened to find myself confronted with rail upon rail of woolly jumpers and duffel coats, in pretty much every shop. It seemed I could have any number of multi-coloured knitted beanie hats, but there wasn’t a decent summer dress in sight. With the sun still burning in the sky (albeit sporadically) the whole experience brought me out in a hot sweat. Where were all the sundresses; the strappy tops? 

Bewildered, I stopped a passing shop assistant who extended a well-manicured finger in the direction of a measly sale rail in the corner.

It’s annoying, but this isn’t an unfamiliar scenario. Every year, winter seems to creep onto our radar that little bit earlier and it feels like our summer stock is being thrown onto the sale rail before we’ve even had a chance to dust off our flip flops.

According to founder and CEO of www.designerwarehousesales.com, Roger Walker-Dack, there’s a very good reason for this. “The main reason for the stock appearing so early is that with real 'key' hot items of clothing, it gives customers the chance to be able to snap them up and wear them the whole season," says Roger. "Weather patterns are so unpredictable these days, it’s feasible to wear autumn clothes for much longer.”

It can be confusing though, can’t it, to be faced with heavy wool and tweed numbers when summer is still in full swing? There are some real eye-catching buys this year, like the sequin-embellished tops and fitted blazers with ultra structured shoulders, but I just can’t imagine myself wearing them when all I want to do is laze around in the park in a strappy maxi dress eating ice cream.

Image consultant Sharon Connolly says keeping up with early new season stock is a common issue among her clients. “Your average person just gets used to seeing a new style or colour, psyches themselves up to give it a go... and bosh... its been resigned to the sale rail, all their sizes have gone and they're presented with another set of scary options.”

I know what she means, a quick scout through the sale rail revealed a few tatty summer tops and a meagre offering of dresses that weren’t in my size.  So how can we maximise on the transition from spring/summer to autumn/winter? 

“Think about what you really like - develop your own style,” suggests Sharon. “Read magazines and research what is in and think about whether it’s right for you. Don't just buy something because it's the 'must have piece'.  Layering allows you to mix and match summer and winter clothes very easily so that floaty summer dress you love can be layered with a cardigan and opaque tights well into the winter.”

My shopping trip wasn’t a complete disaster, after a lot of rooting, I eventually ended up with a bargain dress from the Warehouse sale.  Next year though, I’ll be better prepared.

Roger’s top summer sales tips:

1) Look for items that are not totally seasonal. After all, with centrally heated stores, offices and homes, do we really need to buy such heavy winter clothes?

2) If you want a really heavily discounted bargain, look for very seasonal garments. Stores always discount much more heavily on merchandise that they think won't go through the following season.

3) Keep a track on the season's hot colours. Often stores will want to be rid of them completely (to make way for the next ones) even though they will still look hot and right for some time yet.

4) Look out for store overbuys. An enthusiastic buyer may have hit the repeat button too early, and when the second delivery does not sell out so fast, you can benefit from their 'mistake'.

5) If the store has plenty of the sale item you lust after, be patient and you'll probably end up with even further discounts.