BrandAlley

Antonia O’Brien is a successful stylist and regular guest presenter on ITV’s morning favourite shows, Daybreak and Lorraine, as well as lead anchor for the Lorraine weekly fashion feature, Style Dilemma.

 An authority on upcoming trends and hot fashion news, she was spotted by Grazia magazine in 2010 and regularly appears in the feature pages. Antonia has also been an ambassador for the charity Fashion Targets Breast Cancer since 2010, working with the team on fundraising events and campaigns.

BrandAlley’s Savvy Shopper has been lucky to get Antonia’s top tips on how to shop savvy and feel good in an exclusive guest post.

I’ve worked in the fashion industry for several years now and been busy in all areas, from styling on shoots to writing fashion features and re-working people’s wardrobes. It is really important for my day to day that I know what is going on in the fashion-sphere, so I have to keep current with fashion trends and changing styles via newspapers, magazines and streetstyle blogs. I love translating the catwalk looks and re-working them from the high street, whether I am trying to do glossy biker or pattern clash for myself, a viewer or a client I’m styling – regardless of body shape I love making individuals feel confident through fashion.

There is so much inspiration everywhere and that is what makes both fashion and my job exciting. One day I’ll be researching YSL and his smoking jacket for my blog and the next I am scouring the high street for that perfect little black dress for a client. Whether I am on the go or pacing up and down Oxford Street, I am always a girl on the go and that’s why shopping savvy is so important. Let’s be honest, fashion isn’t the most important part of our lives, but it makes me laugh, feel confident and sexy and I have a lot of fun with it.

So what exactly does it mean to be a ‘savvy shopper’? I haven’t broken it down before but now I think about it, it’s quite a tricky question. Most fashion and style conscious women think they have shopping sussed, but have they? Whether it is stalking up and down the high street or clicking through online sales and bargains, everyone has their own interpretation of how to shop, and I mean really shop.

Personally for me, being a savvy shopper means shopping alone. I know I know, ‘retail therapy’ is supposed to be a fun afternoon of browsing with your best girlfriends but I am better as a solo shopper. I see shopping as a mission/project/operation, especially if I have something specific I am looking for; how am I going to find the perfect pair of patent Mary-Janes if I have to compromise on where I want to go? Selfish I know, but it is the only way to be an efficient and savvy shopper. Plus, is there anything worse than fighting with your friends over the rails or feeling deflated when your sister looks better in your dream dress than you?  No.

Okay, so that is my golden rule of shopping girls, be brave and go it alone and if you’re unsure about how something looks or fits you can always come back with a trusty honest friend (that vetoes all jealous friends, you know the ones!)

A few other tips I have about shopping (as a lover of clothes and a stylist) are as follows:

-          Do a bit of research online before you hit the shops to see what’s new and if there are any sneaky sales that may not be on in store. You want to be armed with what is available in the here and now both online and offline, then you’re really ready for the shops.

-          Keep up to date with online designer discount sites like BrandAlley aka ‘The Non Stop Designer Sale’ so you know if you can get your favourite brands at a discounted price (very ‘recessionista.’)

-          Try not to choose ‘retail therapy’ as a way of dealing with bad news, I’ve done it girls and it did nothing for my bank balance or state of mind.

-          If you are trying to tighten the purse strings but really need/want/must get your shopping fix then give yourself a shopping ‘allowance’ that is the absolute limit and you are not allowed to exceed under ANY circumstances.

-          Browse and take your time. Sometimes when the new season pieces hit the rails it can all be a bit overwhelming, so have a look around but don’t buy anything. Take in what is in the shops and online, then at the end of the day go back to the pieces that you can’t stop thinking about (it sounds ridiculous but it’s so true isn’t it?). Once you have seen how the different shops are taking on a trend and compared pieces and prices, go back and snap them up.

I love talking clothes, shops, shoes and savvy shopping because a) I have been wardrobe obsessed since I was 9 and b) writing and presenting fashion is my 9 – 5 Monday to Friday. Whether I am dressing myself for an important meeting or helping a Lorraine viewer with a style dilemma, the most important thing of all is feeling comfortable and confident. This may sound a bit cliché but it is the absolute truth, if you feel freaking fabulous, you will look it.

Happy savvy shopping!

Antonia x

If you like Antonia’s advice and have more questions for the expert, then why not ask her via Twitter? Be sure to @BrandAlleyUK & @AntoniaOBrien