For me shopping has always been a frustrating experience. Its ironic because I work in fashion and I am in the shops most of the days , but I hate shopping and wandering in the shops for hours. What do I do then to make this experience as painful as possible:-)

– Go online before hitting the shops.and make a plan of what you need

-Take pictures to keep the focus on what you need and want,

-Shop in one , maximum 2 places,

-Go in ,pick up the pieces ,try on,  get out

-Sleep on it,

-Return what ‘s not working the next day.

1. I usually shop in one brand. That safes time and money. Going to the mall and entering every single shop I pass by means I live every shop with a bunch of clothes I don’t need. I come home and realise everything is similar, everything has the same shape or colour or I got 5 pair of trousers, but I first started as I was looking for a dress.

Hitting every shop can be not only exhausting but can leave you with empty wallet very very fast. For past few years  I have developed a strategy when going shopping and it works for me. It also works when I get to shop for my clients.

Choose maximum 2 high street brands you really like and concentrate on them. It doesn’t mean you limit yourself because you shop only in one place. But when you do that you can leave the place with 3 pieces you really need. Not with 10 pieces you really wanted. Wanting and needing is 2 different  things and that’s why most people have clothes in their wardrobe they’ve never even worn and they don’t even know they exist. They buy with spur of a moment, sometimes wasting hundreds of pounds worth of goods they will never put on because they won’t have opportunity.

Always shop for an occasion rather just for a sake of it. when you decide why you need a new dress, scarf, shoes it makes sense to buy and easier to find what you looking for.

Ive got one favourite shop I have been shopping for past 10 years, its big enough to give me different options. It’s divided into different collections, which means I can choose if I want something more expensive or something more basic or something more hippy and trendy.

There is another shop I use, where I buy things what first shop doesn’t have;that includes my underwear, yoga clothes and sometimes basic tshirts or jeans which seems to fit me better.

The third and last one is the home décor shop. I have decorated my house throughout the past couple of years starting from my kids bedroom moving onto my bedroom , kitchen hall and living room. I use ikea for furnitres which is convenient and the high street brands for the finish off and decorative side of it.

Having one shop for clothes/shoes/accessories , second as a back up and underwear and third for home décor, means you really don’t need to go anywhere else.

2. Make a plan of what you need. They say never go hungry grocery shopping , the same with clothes. Don’t buy what you already have. Think of why you need clothes, never go shopping for a sake of buying anything. You’v got to a have a a reason for it.

Before hitting the shops. Take a pictures of things you like, go on the website of your favourite shop. Take 1-2 pictures of every garment, meaning a dress, tshirt, trousers, jeans, jacker skirt, knitwear ect

Sleep on it,

Flip through the pictures again the next morning, see if yous till like what you have chose the previous day. I usually say yes to all of them.

Go shopping and pick up the garments you have chosen.

Try them in the fitting room, there always be at least one piece that wont fit you as some clothes simply look better on the hanger that your body.

Go home, try it again, sleep on it,think of an occasion you might wear them for.

Return the rest you don’t need / don’t like/ don’t fit

This is a simple trick, because at the end of the day, you will end up with half amount of clothes you picked up at the very beginning,

There is no such a thing like going shopping but you don’t know what you looking for, wandering in between of isles for couple of hours. always make a list of things you need, list of places you gonna visit or events, occasions you have planned for upcoming weeks, take pictures, so you don’t get overhelmed when you enter the shop, and your focus will be lost forever. Don’t wander the shops for hours, looking for a piece of clothing that don’t even exist in your mind. Know what you want, know what you came here for, know your budget so you don’t leave with empty wallet, with no money left to even go for lunch. Shops can get busy, hot owerhelming, you might get hungry and frustrated in the meantime , leading to buying clothes you not sure about, just for a sake of it.

Go home, try it on in your own time, ask people what they think, however I wouldn’t advise to always do that, as at the end of the day is what you like and feel comfortable with and other peoples opinions might be based on their own preferences rather than what fits your figure and personality.

Most of the time, I know what I like when I see something in the shop, or when the box arrive to my home address, but not everyone like that. You might not be hundred percent sure if you like that’ skirt or not or if it fits your figure or not.

Sometimes taking selfie helps with the decision, ask a third party opinion if you really have to and have fun with it.