Markets 
How can I leave a sample sale feeling like a winner?
When you have Champagne tastes on a tap-water budget (restaurants really must stop charging the price of a pair of Calvin Klein underpants for sparkling water), sample sales are a source of style salvation. More than 70 per cent of my wardrobe is from outlets, pop-up stores and dark corners of the internet where flocks of items from seasons past by Prada, Acne Studios and Dries Van Noten go to hibernate.
The biggest mistake you can make, however, is buying something because it has a designer label and is half-price. An ugly Burberry jumper is still an ugly Burberry jumper at $100. Before you head out, examine your wardrobe for gaps that need to be filled. If you’re going to the sale looking for a specific label, do your research online to identify the pieces that you need.
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Adopt a shopping uniform in preparation for makeshift change-rooms where privacy is harder to find than a cashmere jumper that doesn’t pill. Wear shoes that come off easily and fitted athleisure wear that you can keep on beneath dresses and shirts.
Pay attention to sizing and, by that, I mean don’t buy something that you might fit into *one day*: that size-too-small outfit will torment you every time you hear the pop of a Pringles tin or smell a Cherry Ripe. Life’s just too short. The exception to this rule is oversized jackets that can be rescued with clever tailoring, but you’ll need to factor in the additional cost.
Try to shop for the season you’re in and, most importantly of all, resist the urge to share the bargain price of your new find when you receive compliments on its first outing.
Got a style conundrum? Email damien.woolnough@nine.com.au
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