When it comes to eveningwear, next season will be all about three main trends; strapless, asymetry and twenties. As we’ve seen an awful lot of the first two in the previous season I am really excited to see a big wave of art deco inspired detailing, fringing and overal twenties fabulosity about to hit us full pelt this summer.

Look to Alberta Ferreti, Jill Sander and Mark Fast for inspiration from the S/S 09 catwalks, and for feathers, tassels and equisite embelishments in the detailing.

The one thing to avoid is embracing the trend a little too vigourously and turning out looking as if you’re off to fancy dress. So to combat this, and to give the look a contemporary twist, try teaming with a sculpted short leather jacket nipped in at the waist or a similar tough accessory.

You can pick up this particular twenties frock from Oli for £56.00.

If you’ve still got a bit of Christmas cash to burn, then check out the Coco Ribbon sale. As well as their own products, they’ve got lots of great designer items in their sale.

This Luella Corset Mini Dress is reduced from £325 to only £195, and is perfect for a staple LBD investment piece. The mini dress shape and extra layers give it a cute but sophisticated look, and the bow on the back is the perfect detailing. The corset part is under-wired with a fastening, so it’ll stay up whatever you’re doing, and will create a flattering figure.

For a Luella dress this is definitely a bargain and is a great item to pull out the wardrobe again and again.

You can buy it online or from the Coco Ribbon boutique in Notting Hill.

I have two tactics when it comes to the sales, my first is to pick up classic items that I can wear anytime no matter what the fashion (such as a cashmere sweater, the perfect fitting crisp white shirt, any fabulous shoes etc).

This can prove very rewarding – the feeling of joy when you can add something totally perfect looking, functional and half price will never loose its allure!

My functional pick is this cashmere batwing sweater by Alexander McQueen. A classic that you could wear forever, this one can be picked up from Net-a-porter for £305.40 (down from £509).

However, my second, more frivolous approach is to snap up those items that you may never actually wear but will look great in your clothes collection and might one day be just the perfect thing you need.

Such items include say a vintage Victoria lace slip… too beautiful and ancient to wear, but having the opportunity you cast your eyes over it day after day makes it every bit as worthwhile as say finding the perfect ‘interview shirt’.

My potential frivolous purchase this season might just be this ostrich feather bolero (from humble old Topshop surprisingly!). Right now I have no where to wear it, no dress to match it, but one day I may discover the perfect glittering 20’s style flapper dress and it will be the perfect adornment.

If not, I shall forever gaze at it adoringly hanging in my closet and never regret a penny spent. And I certainly wouldn’t in this case as it’s marked down from £85 to just £40!

If you have any sales tactics you swear by, please feel free to share!

If you are still looking for a great frock for New Year’s Eve then there’s still time and some great bargains out there to be had!

I love the label ACNE and really like this strappy dress currently on sale at Net-a-porter for £95.90 (reduced from £137).

A great little black dress to invest in, it features a gorgeous layered frill detailing at the front and back and thin spaghetti straps.

This black chiffon dress is fully lined so there’ll be no embarrassing see through moments on the dance floor yet will provide great movement and elegance.

If you’ve got the cash to flash and are still planning your New Years Eve ensemble then you could do worse than adorn yourself with reams of sparkling diamantes in the form of this stunning necklace form Tom Binns.

Featuring silver diamante clusters and multitudes of sparkling strands, this is a knock out of a necklace, fit for the most glam night of the year.

At £680.21 its pricey but absolutely beautiful. Team with a fairly understated satin jewel tone cocktail dress to let the jewellery do the talking.

You can pick one up from Net-a-porter.

If you are looking for a show stopping yet understated dress and if you have a figure to die for and just £27.41 in your pocket, this could be the dress for you.

Featuring a low scoop back, this wet look dress is seriously on the sexy side, yet with the goth, rock and punk trends in full throw and new years eve around the corner this is the one time when anyone who has the body for a dress like this can get away with wearing it without too many raised eyebrows!

Slim fit and made of high shine material this is a head turner but if teamed with pretty minimal accessories and killer heals can be a great look (think the Olsen’s style tricks and this can be pulled off no problem).

Available from ASOS, the best thing is the price tag, at under 30 quid it’s a real bargain.

Another label I shall be keeping my eye on for unusal frocks is Miss Milne, and here is an example of how great they are at putting a feminine stamp on their designs.

The use of ruffles and soft swathes of chiffon fabric dominate their collection and always seem to create an ultra ladylike effect.

A lot of the sequin dresses I’ve seen tend to look very heavy and edgy and have a ‘hard’ look. However, this is the first I’ve sent hat truly looks girly too.

I love the layerd white capelet upper half of the dress and on the catwalk it has great movement too. Team as styled in the picture with silver heels and bangles.

You can pick this up from £92.98 for ASOS.

Whilst checking out the latest arrivals over at ASOS earlier, I cam e across this rather unusual prom dress by Laura Lees.

Featuring an exposed zip, high contrast neck and gold peter pan style collar, this is the most unique prom dress I have come across among all the jewel satin dresses, little black dresses and other same mainstream offerings about.

I’m not sure I love it, but I do adore the upper half of the dress with the sweetheart neckline and high waist. The embroidery I’m not really a fan of, but the overall idea is an interesting one. Definitely a label to keep your eye on if you hanker after the more unusual!

You can pick this up for £205.54.

Hot pink is all over the high street this season. From clutches to coats, shoes to sequins, leggings to lipstick, this gorgeous colour is everywhere. So why not be brave and add a little heat to your wardrobe and invest in a stunning dress like this one from Paul & Joe Sister.

Perfect for the office Christmas party, this one shoulder LPD is definitely the buy of the season. Tiered for a flirty, fun look, this gorgeous piece can be teamed with gold killer heels and accessories and will look subtly stunning. Alternatively, go all out with coloured tights and accessories for a bolder, more vibrant look.

At just £161 make sure you get yours from net-a-porter today.

Enjoy the party!

If you’re a bit unlucky like me and you’re birthday falls near Christmas, you might currently be experiencing ‘dress panic’, like I am. With so many social occasions in such a short space of time, wearing the same dress for more than one of them is out of the question. Therefore I need an extensive dress wardrobe that’ll still leave me with some change left over for buying Christmas presents.

So here’s a selection of great party dresses that will have you looking the belle of the ball without being a Christmas Scrooge!

First up on the left is a Satin Puff Dress from Topshop, which is currently reduced from £65 to only £40. Purple is the ultimate colour to be seen in, and looks great with staple silver accessories. The pintuck detail nips you in at the waist to create a great silhouettes, and being a strapless dress means you can add a sprinkling of glitter to your shoulders for a shimmery detail.

Next, in the middle is a Scoop Neck Bugle Bead Tunic Limited Collection dress from Marks and Spencer, which currently has 20% off the £49.50 price tag. The lovely peacock colour is great for this season’s jewel trend, and the simple but flattering cut will suit most body shapes, especially you skinny petites.

And finally, every dress collection needs one, the old faithful LBD. I’ve opted for this ASOS Zip Back Shift Dress, that costs £38. The classic shift shape should see you through many a season, as it can be easily adapted with a belt and transformed with accessories. Whilst prom dresses and lace look great now, will you still want to be pulling it out the wardrobe next year? Simple and uncomplicated, this dress speaks for itself, and is perfect for unexpected wardrobes and slipping on when nothing else works.

Keep your eye out for bargains, and get ready to hit those parties!