It’s half-time for the 2007 Autumn and Winter collections. Most retail stores are on sale and there are bargains to be had. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, October is one of the best times to shop for cold weather clothing because:

• Transitional Autumn merchandise is marked down
• Dressy holiday ensembles begin to hit stores
• The best woolen items make their debut (outerwear, coats, cashmere and merino wool knitwear)

Lightweight knits, trenches and cotton-rich items get pushed off store floors to make room for fancy occasion wear, resort wear (in case you’re off to a sunny spot to thaw), and heavy weight winter garments. You’ll see additional inputs of fresh winter merchandise hit stores in November.

Retailers generally resist further delivery of sales stock from the first week of December till Christmas because they don’t like to bulk up stocks just before Christmas. Business tends to fall flat straight after Christmas and unsold goods leads to reduced profit. January is markdown month and Spring lines start making their cheerful entry in February. So what you see in stores between now and the end of November is everything that this season still has to offer.

If you are a lucky sale shopper, then now is your time. If you haven’t updated adequately for the upcoming season – get cracking! The good stuff, whether it’s in terms of design or value, flies out of stores. Continue to make savvy decisions when you shop . Do not buy something if you do not know how to wear it, or how to build it into an ensemble from the other items in your wardrobe. The item will remain unworn and that’s a waste of money.

I make a beeline for Banana Republic Menswear at this time of year. Half the store is on sale and the best of their Autumn and Winter collections makes its debut. It remains one of my favourite places to buy hip, affordable and good quality basics for gentlemen clients.