Sale prices you can't refuse

"You don't want to piss off the Italians - you'll end up with a horse's head in your bed." So quoth a certain PR friend, speaking of a certain London department store which this year took to discounting its designer merchandise a little earlier than was seemly.

Yes, the summer sales are with us once again, and if you feel they've happened a little earlier than usual - well, that's because they have. Some retailers have been offering reductions on the sly for a couple of weeks, but now that the official SALE signs are up, the gloves are off and the race is on to find the best bargains in London.

Aren't SALE signs ugly? Isn't it too, too vile to be plundering packed chrome rails for bargains? Not really, no. Designer labels now cost a ridiculous amount of money: I don't know about yours, but my wages don't seem to be rising on a par with the prices at Chloe, Marc Jacobs and Lanvin - surely three of the most heinously expensive labels in the world.

All of which makes sale time more important than ever. With stores offering discounts of up to 50 per cent this summer, now is about the only time most women can afford to buy these glorious clothes. The smart sales shopper should be looking to buy now, wear later. This means: avoiding anything lemon, overly girly or twee. But while twee is out for autumn, tweed is very much sticking around, so look out for discounted tweed jackets or coats. You never know - you might even find a Marc Jacobs one for under four figures if you're lucky.

The Bloomsbury look is another big trend for next season, so re-read your Virginia Woolf before heading to the Dries van Noten sale rail. Van Noten's aesthetic never changes much, and though he is far from cheap, his clothes are classics you'll wear forever more. Any labels with a vintage feel will see you well into 2005, as this is another trend not going anywhere fast.

Colour-wise, you should be honing in on grapes, violets and lilacs, along with greys and petrol blues. Maxmara has some of the prettiest purple hues: again, a classic label whose clothes will last and last. And if you haven't already bought a trench coat, then do, because the belted-up look will linger long through autumn. Enough of being bossy, though. The sales are a time to experiment, and my best advice is to buy what you like.