We are now in an age when we pay more attention to packaging, recycling and the general waste of cartons, plastics and carrier bags. The UK government has pledged its intention to reduce its carbon footprint by quite a significant amount over the next 10 years. [Unlike China, but that’s another blog for another time, on another site!]

With supermarkets now beginning to charge you for the use of their once free carrier bags and pushing bags for life in our faces, our choice, I have noticed, is very limited. They all seem a tad old fashioned, a mite too colourful and most certainly, almost always emblazoned with supermarket logos. No thanks …

We need to cast the net more widely in order to find suitable large shopper bags. We need to buy bigger and look better. Your two realistic options here are “satchel bags” and tote bags.

The Anya Hindmarch patent trim tote bag, made of smooth patent calf leather on the outside with the inside being lined with nylon, is perfect for those Saturday morning shopping sprees. Alternatively, grab a roomy satchel bag, sling it over your shoulder and head for Sainsbury’s!

Pump shoes, comfortable jeans and a good handbag – all a busy mum needs!

The problem for busy mums who want to look good is time and practicality. But you can still look cool and fashionable while rushing about taking your kids to and from school while addressing all their needs!

The best thing is to invest in a couple of pairs of skinny jeans, well fitting jacket and cool long sleeved shirts, topped with a long warm cashmere cardigan or cashmere jumper. You can definitely combine comfort and glamour – just make sure you make the right choices!

Flat shoes, preferably ballerina pumps are the choice for busy mums as they are great for all situations. In the summer you can get away with flip flops but now is the time for pumps which are so chic!

If you want a change from jeans why not try a pleated skirt or comfortable wide-leg trousers, finished off with a great belt and a full sleeved wool cardigan? All perfect for busy mums who more than anything else

perhaps need to have a nice capacious bag, leather bags and suede bags being good choices, to hold their children’s numerous odds and ends, snacks, lunchboxes and toys. You can shop for a really good bag online. Spoilt for choice there are ranges of good leather and suede bags with numerous pockets to suit busy mums.

Bag of the week at £240 – a long term investment - is one of Stella McCartney’s collection  for LeSportsac, ecological, cool and with wonderful cleverly concealed compartments to carry those baby accessories, bottles, nappies and stuff for the bigger ones too!  Who said a busy mum can’t be practical and still look good?

The problem with these formal dresses is that we inspect them only in the context of the red carpet itself. We don’t get to see the dresses on real live people that dance around and spit out canapés and have a quick fag and a giggle with their mates. Which is why I love this shot of Sienna Miller cracking up with Heath Ledger, not only because it’s Heath, and in the aftermath of all the sadness, here he is momentarily happy, but also because this photo of Sienna shows her looking completely relaxed and away from the line of fire.

Sienna wears a Dior strapless dress, so flattering against her tan skin and blond hair; a wad of Chopard diamonds that she’d probably sleep in were it not for a security man about to collect them before the evening’s over. We’ve all seen a fair amount of Sienna’s flesh of late, but let’s not forget that she’s young and real and living her life in front of the cameras, but she has the body for fashion and formal dresses and the brain to put them together in ways that will inspire a lot of women to sit up and take note for years to come. And if you still accuse her of lagging behind in the style stakes, check out what she wore to Valentino’s anniversary bash last year and tell me she hasn’t made progress with her current wardrobe of elegant dresses.

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It’s quite hard to get a good black leather handbag. Brown leather is not quite tough enough, but the problem with black is that is can often look cheap, regardless of the actual price tag.

I only own one black leather bag: a small evening handbag. Quite often I dress in black for a day in the office, so I went in search of something that wouldn’t break the bank balance but looked as though it was good quality.

Jane Shilton handbags are exceptionally good value for money, they are also available to purchase online and with the added bonus that if you order by 4pm, they despatch the same day, perfect for appeasing my impatience.

What is even better about “Jane Shilton handbags” is that you can gain an additional 20% discount if you buy a pair of her shoes as well. I cannot think of a better reason to invest in new footwear!

Trawling past the dross of black ladies handbags that looked a little old fashioned I stumbled upon one that ticked all the right boxes: the Melbourne large croc printed glazed leather tote/shoulder bag. It’s reasonably large without being ridiculously oversized. You know it’s too big when you put your keys in and then can’t find them again for days. Though come to think of it, this could be trait of all bags, large or small …

Often, we feature the latest designer handbags, the new must-haves, the bags the celebrities have all got their mitts on, you know the ones, they are the Prada bags and Gucci bags for which you save up months in order to own if you’re not famous enough to be given one for free.

Seldom, however, do we talk about how to look after these little investment pieces. After all, at some point, you are going to have to part with them even if it’s literally on your death-bed and you’re passing down your designer handbag to future generations of fashionistas.

So here are some maintenance tips: for starters, it’s all well and good bunging all your personal belongs into it, but watch out for lipsticks and other bits of make-up because they can cause untold damage to the lining of your favourite friend. Also, leather bags and especially suede handbags rarely respond well to water or ink stains, so watch out for those pens and bottles of water you might be tempted to carry with you.

You can buy specific products called purse protectors if you are one of those ultra- meticulous types or perhaps a quick zip to the local supermarket for some cheap containers.

Your precious Prada bag also needs protecting when it’s not adorning your arm. Consider keeping it covered with a pillowcase or equivalent, just in case some of those other items in your wardrobe happen to scratch it. And, if you plan on only using it occasionally and it resides mainly in said pillowcase, sensible advice would be to take off any additional parts, buckles, straps etc that might potentially dent the material.

Now you know all this, feel free to go and splash the cash. I firmly recommend the latest Gucci number called Babouska. It’s gorgeous!

Beaded handbags have never really been my thing; they are just a touch too feminine for my taste. Two of my sisters on the other hand are ultra girly and completely into make up and flowers and all things female.

Umm-ing and aah-ing over what to buy them this Christmas, it occurred to me that a beaded handbag for each of them would be perfect. Perhaps if I can find the time, I could put a little something in each of the handbags, like a lipstick or two. Girly pink for sure *insert rolled eyes*.

Even though a beaded handbag is not for me, I have to admit I appreciate their beauty. The little oriental bags are my favourite, they have a touch of the exquisite about them. Some bags even have the dangling lengths of tassels and beads and frankly I can’t stop touching them, stroking them and running them across my skin.

The designs are so intricate; each bead is perfectly placed to create a gorgeous flower or pattern. It must take the designers ages to put them all together and I think because they are handmade is what gives these bags that added something.

So, Christmas is approaching, it’s already November and we all know how quickly that becomes December, and then bang! it hits you that you haven’t done any festive shopping and then panic sets in. My women’s fashion advice is to save yourself the stress and start now. You don’t even have to leave the house because, truth be told, you’re a few clicks away from incredible bargains at credit crunch-busting prices – minus the crowds and minus the bag-laden journey home. Click onto asos.com and check out their sale. Snap up mega deals on women’s clothing for a fiver! A premium silk mix bedjacket (natural fibres-cotton & silk, yay!) which is reduced to £5 from £30. Wear it over a vest and jeans for casual cuteness. Gothic is still looming large and if you haven’t indulged your inner Morticia, load up with some jewellery (as seen at Givenchy). Beaded necklace from ASOS is now just £4, and oversized black cocktail ring £5. Now, if only they would go the extra mile and gift wrap with some nice Christmassy paper too! Also, get some impressive stocking fillers on ASOS – I suggest make up by great brands like Barry M and Paul & Joe at half price, and super niche products from the likes of This Works and Smiley Theraputic going for cheap! Beats a tangerine and some walnuts anyday.

If you want to up the budget – and why not, you’ll be putting it under the tree (won’t you?) for the one you love - Koodos (Shopzilla UK) has a clearance sale. Now is the time to snap up designer ladies shoes at a price you can afford. Cashmere has been slashed by 50% and more, plus reduced celebrity fave 7Seven For all Mankind jeans; and my favourite – a silk Betsey Johnson dress in tomato red, which just so happens to be the colour of the season.

Fashion journalist Angela Buttolph has written a book about Kate Moss’s style. Kate Moss Style is her study of the supermodel and her outfits through the decades, distilled into a handy guide for all Kate lovers out there. Most girls (and women) have channelled Kate at some point, and aside from being a fashion icon of our time, she also has an accessible, normal street style. Buttolph breaks it down for us and reveals that in as much as Kate is a trendsetter, she does stick to certain rules of dressing. Without going into the full on list, I want to pick out a few key points that Buttolph makes, which are the linchpins, if you like, of her style.

First she never looks like she’s trying too hard: teenage kohl eyeliner, hacked-off hemlines, worn-in vintage, unbrushed hair. So relax girls, stop trying so hard….it’s all in the downtime. Second, she is a dress code rebel, wearing the exact opposite of what’s expected. Hence the gold Dsquared party dress to Glastonbury, the formal dress to the NME… So the next time you’ve gone and misjudged the occasion, don’t worry, smile your biggest smile and comfort yourself in the knowledge that you’ve pulled off a Kate Moss without even trying. Oh, and one last thing. When it comes to jewellery, don’t mess around. Follow Kate’s lead and buy diamonds. Got that?

I’ve always been a fan of the short dress that can double up as jumper, eliminating the need for anything more than black tights. Dressing doesn’t get much simpler or quicker, so thank God for the sweater dress. What I love about these kinds of ladies dresses is that you don’t look like you’re trying too hard, yet they can be the most chic winter dresses going. I bought a Katharine Hamnett black cashmere mix sweater dress that is figure hugging and has a big cowel neck which you can fold over for an off-the-shoulder insouciance. Worn over skinny jeans or leggings or on its own, it just works.

Marc Jacobs makes things interesting with a deep V back on a dove grey sweater dress, available on net a porter. Keep it plain with L’Wren Scott’s cashmere number which is smart enough for night too. But my favourite is the 3.1 Phillip Lim Merino turtleneck ladies’ dress in a rich berry pink, with a flare on the sleeve and contrasting rim and pocket detail, this is the perfect autumn dress. All available on net a porter.
Alternatively, wear a man’s jumper as your oversize dress and see if you can get away with that. Watch out for too-large shoulders and gape under the arms though, as an xxxl 48” jumper is intended for a rather large man.

Just spotted the coolest leather beaded handbag on the Topshop website for £50. Sales might have fallen for the Arcadia Group over the last seven weeks, but of all the Group’s companies under-performing because of the credit crunch, Topshop is not one of them. We can’t get enough of young fashion, with its fast turnover and trend reliance. And whenever I think, no, enough is enough, invest in quality pieces that’ll go the distance, I find myself swayed by some too-good-to-miss little nugget that cements my belief in the good old British High Street.

The High Street will never leave our hearts, or betray our pockets – it’s about the only marketplace within our budget at the moment. The leather beaded handbag may look like it’s a Kate Moss piece - it has all the hallmarks of bad gal after all. And let’s face it, for most of us biker chic never strays far from our hearts. Seize on any opportunity to accessorize with a little fierceness. A tough double buckle belt will add structure, for footwear – go for edgy rather than clompy. My favourite is still this clutch bag though - as Kate would say “it’s gorge”!