Our fashion director Avril Mair answers your style conundrums and solves your sartorial headaches
My mother is taking me on a break to one of those fasting spas in Germany. What on earth should I pack? As someone familiar with the formidable Dr Mayr, I can say with authority that you need to surround yourself with luxury while deep in the throes of detox – if you’re going to wish for death, you might as well do it swathed in cashmere. I find a Brunello Cucinelli tracksuit can cure most cases of hunger-induced misery. I’d also swap the hotel slippers for these delicious cream suede and shearling Birkenstocks, a collaboration with the Scandi loungewear brand Tekla.
I always make mistakes when shopping in the January sales and end up buying things that nobody wanted in the first place. How can I grab a bargain that I’ll actually wear instead? Don’t think about how much you’re saving – even 95 per cent off isn’t going to make that one-legged sequin jumpsuit a good buy. Instead, work out what you want and see if you can find it at a better price: it’s always a good time to look at classics like a timeless trench-coat. For the more fashion forward, Me + Em’s black leather bomber says S/S 24, but is now half price.
My partner has given up on trying to choose presents for me and now wants a suggestion for a significant birthday. Is there an investment bag that I can carry every day? In a market where luxury handbags are selling for almost five-figure sums, it’s unsurprisingly difficult to find something that doesn’t feel too precious to take on the Tube. Louis Vuitton has two laptop-friendly options for about £1,500 – the suitably named Neverfull and CarryAll. They come in various sizes, and you can opt for monogram or plain leather;
