The Real Reason You Keep Buying Clothes You Never Wear Open your wardrobe right now. Somewhere in there is a top you loved in the shop and have worn twice. A jacket that seemed like a great idea and now just takes up hanger space. Maybe a dress with the tags still on, because the…
Yes, Retail Therapy Works. Here’s the Bit Instagram Left Out. Every so often, a piece of research escapes the journals and goes for a wander round social media, and you’ll have seen this one. Some version of: good news, lovely people, science says shopping actually makes you happier, the effect lasts, and you’re not even…
It Was Never the Purchase in the Bag. It Was the Choosing. Here’s a small mystery worth sitting with. You’ve had a rotten day, you’re feeling down. You go shopping, and you feel better. We all know this happens, and most of us are faintly embarrassed by it, because the obvious explanation is a bit…
You Bought It for a Woman Who Doesn’t Exist Yet Go and open your wardrobe. Not metaphorically, actually go and look. Somewhere in there, I’d put money on it, is a garment with the tags still on or never worn. Something a size down from where you are. Something for the gallery opening you don’t…
The Sale Price Is a Comparison, Not a Saving Here is a sentence that has cost women more money than almost any other: “but it was reduced from $120.” We say it to ourselves in the shop. We say it to our partners at home. We say it, a little defensively, when someone admires the…
You Didn’t Fall in Love With That Dress. Your Nucleus Accumbens Did There’s a moment in a shop that we all treat as sacred. You’re walking past a rail, not really looking, and something stops you. You reach out. You hold it up. And you get that small internal lift, the one that says Oh.…
It’s Not the Mirror, and It’s Not You You go into a fitting room feeling reasonably good about yourself and the outfit you’re wearing to the shops. You come out twenty minutes later having decided that you have terrible legs, that your stomach has staged some kind of coup, and that you should probably not…
If You’re a Shopaholic With “Nothing to Wear.” Here’s What’s Actually Going On. “I’m a shopaholic, yet I feel like I have nothing to wear, and it gives me anxiety because I have too much stuff.” This was emailed to me by one of my lovely readers. If that sentence made you wince a little…
You’re Not Buying the Bag. You’re Buying a Holiday from Yourself. Here’s a question worth sitting with before you tap “confirm purchase” next time: are you buying something because you want it, or because you want a feeling to go away? It sounds confronting. But understanding the difference is one of the most useful things…
Before You Buy a Single Thing, Do This First Patricia is 80 years young, and she wants to look fabulous again. After five years as a full-time caregiver, she wrote to me asking where to start. Her words: “By necessity, I fell into lots of bad personal care habits, and now I would like to…
Here’s a question I get all the time, and it makes complete sense that you’re asking it: “Imogen, I keep buying things I never wear. What is wrong with me?” Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong with you. But something very interesting is happening in your brain, and once you understand it, you’ll have a much…
Following on in our deep dive into the most commonly Googled style questions is “What are the latest fashion trends and how do I wear them?” It’s an interesting question: as fashion trends change, the older we get, the less aware we often are of them. Yet how we are perceived can be influenced by…
As a child, I learned to sew. I was lucky, my grandmother taught me to knit, and my step-mother taught me to sew (as she sewed), and I always loved making things (we did a lot of toilet roll craft in our house and for many years had napkin rings covered with wool made from…
Stop Buying Clothes. Start Seeing What You Already Have. We’re looking into the next most Googled question about style: “How Can I Make My Current Wardrobe More Stylish?” If you go on social media, the answer will be to shop more. Follow some influencer’s list (that they’re getting paid to promote) and supposedly your style…
How to Use Your Colour Palette Without Feeling Restricted (or Confused) “Why can’t I ever find the right outfit in my colours?” A lovely reader asked me this recently, and if you’ve ever stood in a fitting room wondering why something technically “matches your palette” but still feels off… you’re not alone. Let’s clear something…
Did you know that your brain may be the reason you’re not feeling or dressing as stylishly as you’d like? I’m not kidding. There is a high likelihood that your brain is sabotaging your style. There are a number of ways it can do this, but one of the most common ways is known as…
Have you ever brought home something new, full of excitement, only to realise a week later that you are wearing it in exactly the same way every single time? Caroline sent through a similar question, and it is something I hear often: Why do I keep styling new pieces the same way, even when I…
Ever found yourself wandering the shops, feeling completely uninspired by what’s on offer? You know your colours, you’ve done the work – but suddenly everything on the racks is beige, black, or bright orange. None of it suits you, and all of it feels like a compromise. This was exactly Helen’s dilemma: “My challenge is…
Christmas Gift Guide Ideas for Everyone Let’s be honest—holiday shopping can feel more exhausting than magical. The pressure to find the perfect gift for everyone (without resorting to yet another candle or gift card) can leave even the most thoughtful gift-givers feeling stuck. But not this year. Welcome to the Christmas Gift Guide 2025: a…
You brought it home with excitement, pictured all the ways you’d wear it, and then… it sat there. Untouched. We’ve all done it. That unworn piece hanging in your wardrobe isn’t proof you lack style discipline – it’s proof of a deeper disconnect. Understanding why you never wear that item you loved is the first…
How to Stop Second-Guessing Your Style Purchases (And Give Yourself Permission to Buy the Good Stuff) Have you ever stood in a store, holding something beautiful, but put it back because it felt too expensive or too risky? Michelle did. In fact, she wrote in with a question I hear all the time: “I have…
