Making a frugal wardrobe work

 Today, I put all my summer clothes away. I have put them all in a big drawer in the bottom of the wardrobe and I judiciously went through my wardrobe and recycled, put aside to eBay and bagged up clothes for the charity shop. It may look as if I have hardly any clothes as the clothes in the picture below are actually my entire working wardrobe.

 I have two suits. One new and one from the charity shop. They are tonal and I brighten them up with a coloured tops or a black/white top along with a coloured scarf. Look out for the street vendors who sell 'pashminas' (not real one I hasten to add! the acrylic but nice and soft ones) - I bought four last year for £10 and will be wardrobe staples for years to come. I've been asked how to wear one - I wrap it round my neck and tie a knot!

 All my work skirts are of a similar style and are tonal and will go with any of my suit jackets, any of my coloured tops or any of my cardigans. I can vary what I wear to have a different outfit every day for almost a month.

 It may look as if we are getting rid of more than we are keeping but I think it's really important to look at your clothes and recycle them if they don't fit, you don't like them or you've worn them to death. I have six suits and jackets that are going to be sold on eBay because I've put on all the weight I lost. I may have liked being a size 12, but I didn't enjoy the discipline or the starvation required to stay that weight when my body wants to eat and be a size 16.

I have a chest of drawers for my weekend wardrobe which contains: three pairs of jeans, 1 pair of jogging bottoms, 2 cardigans, 1 fleece, 1 polo neck, 1 crew neck, several coloured t shirts, all of my socks and underwear. It may seem like a very small collection of clothes, but they all fit, I like them all and they are all a size 16.

A frugal wardrobe has very little in it; it will all fit you; you will like everything in it and you will wear it all on a regular basis. Go on, have a good sort out, check what goes with what and recycle what you don't want, need or doesn't fit.