Recycle your style - love fashion! Save cash! Save the planet!

The British public spends £38 million a year on clothes. Every six months, the designers roll out the red carpet and tempt us with their glamorous, look-at-me pieces. How many times have we heard, 'Oh, that's sooo last season darling!' without thinking about the environmental impact?

Do we really need the two million tones of textiles we cram into our already cluttered wardrobes every year? The catwalk slave has to keep up with ever changing trends, which is exhausting as well as expensive.

As brilliantly illustrated by Nancy, money certainly can't buy style, so why do we allow ourselves to be seduced each season into buying more stuff we don't really need?

Here are some of the reasons why shopping hurts the planet:

- As a result of the huge rise in fast, cheap fashion e.g. Primark, there's been a 30% increase in the textiles we dump. Unfortunately, more than half of these clothes will end up in landfill.

- Synthetic, man-made textiles don't breakdown well. Wool and cotton will decompose, but the chemicals they produce increase global warming and hurt our wildlife and waterways.

- Non- organic cotton farmers use large amounts of insecticide on their land, some of which are know to cause human cancers. This practice also harms the wildlife.

- There are numerous reports of the unethical treatment of the workers in other countries who make these clothes. How else do you think the high street can afford to sell the items so cheap!

Although we don't really NEED more clothes, buying a new outfit can make us feel good and sometimes we want to treat ourselves to a little something. If you get the urge to splurge, here are some ideas to lessen the guilt.

Shop less and buy classic, better quality pieces that won't date. Better quality fabric means your clothes will last much longer, and save you money in the long run. Less is definitely more.

Sometimes, a few accessories is enough for a revamp, it'll be much cheaper too.

Use my LOVE IT scale of 1 - 10, anything you are considering below a seven, leave it!

Wear clothes made from organic cotton or natural fabrics. The production of organic textiles doesn't include the harsh chemicals which hurt the planet.

Hire outfits for one off events, this fabulous red dress is for hire at an amazing vintage online store.

How do you know when you've crossed that boundary from looking fashionable, to looking like a fashion victim? Anyone with a passion for fashion will have fallen off the wagon at some time.

My most memorable event, was insisting on wearing a fabulous new pair of wooden wedges to the Notting Hill Carnival. My now husband asked if I was sure I wanted to wear them, but I assured him I'd be fine.

I was more than ready to suffer for fashion, but before we even reached the carnival procession my feet were killing me. My sole's became so unbearably sore, that I allowed myself to be ripped off by a stall holder paying £10 for a pair of flip flops. How ridiculous was that!

It's important to remember that fashion shows are a designer showcase, styled up to high heaven and not practical real life. The outfits you see Gisele working down the runway, are never going to look as good on the school run or in the office.

The key is to select your favourite elements and adapt it to what really suits you.

Did you know we only wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time? Apart from being therapeutic, having a good clear out will give you lots of space and you'll love getting dressed in the morning.

My clothing mantra is to only keep items I LOVE. It's great karma to let go of the clutter and let someone else love the items you've fallen out of love with.

Weeding out those 'make do' outfits will bring out your natural style. The more you wear clothes you LOVE, the more confident you'll be in them so get de-cluttering. That's so much sexier than being a high street clothes horse!

Just saying the word vintage makes my heart beat faster.This is by far my favourite area of the green movement.

I guess, I'm just and old romantic 'cause I've always loved old things. The nostalgia, the craftsmanship, the stories. This section deserves a Lens of its own, so I'm currently beavering away at a separate page to do it justice. In the meantime, here are my favorite online vintage stores.

Watch this space!