How to Tick Off the Trends Without Breaking the Bank

Every year there is a colour trend, sometimes more than one. Inevitably, they end up on the sale rack, but when a neutral colour like white is having a moment, it's worth investing while there's lots to choose from.

White dresses are my personal favourite to wear in Spring. There's something very elegant about it, and it also suggests confidence, because many women are frightened to wear white unless it's their wedding day.

If you want to edge closer to the trend go for sheer white, perhaps a beach dress as we come up to the warmer months, but if you're building a capsule wardrobe, a classic cotton or linen white dress has immense longevity. Style with tan accessories for a summery look.

Another stand-out trend colour this year is cherry red, after it took over the runways. Despite being a bold colour, red doesn't really ever go out of style, but if you're unsure whether to partake in this trend, a good trick is to try it with your lipstick. Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks are my particular favourites.

This is an affordable way to partake in the trend and it's also quite clever: because you wear lipstick next to your skin, it is easy to tell at once whether or not the colour suits you. If you don't like it, you can just wipe it off! And if you love it, it might be worth thinking about injecting this cherry-red shade into your clothing collection.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed 90s and Y2K fashion making a comeback over the past few years. After what has felt like a little too long of almost cartoonish takes on the trend, we are finally leaning more towards the more polished, slim-fitting silhouettes those of us who were around the first time remember so well. A little more Herve Leger, a little less Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

There's no denying this can be a toxic trend, with so much inspiration coming from the skinny supermodels of the time (who were being influenced themselves, of course). There's no reason to be stick-thin before you wear a slim-fitting dress - you just need to try lots on until you find one you feel a million dollars on. I've fallen in love with this budget-friendly short stretch knit dress from Zara.

So far all these trends slot nicely into a capsule wardrobe but sometimes we want to make a statement. My favourite thing about Spring is bringing out the show-stopping dresses so I'm delighted that modern romance is making a comeback in 2024. There will be beautiful midi dresses all over the high street but my favourite affordable brand for this style of dress is H&M, who have an excellent track record of offering stunning dresses of decent quality at a reasonable price.

I would recommend that you do go lower-budget when it comes to buying midi dresses, because you will find yourself living in them in spring and summer so you need to be able to wash them regularly. If you want to save even more money, head to Vinted, where I purchased this pretty yellow dress for a wedding last year: