Tom Ford handed out some fashion advice in a recent Wall Street Journal article. It’s all well worth heeding if you’d like to save money on clothing by avoiding expensive mistakes.

Tom Ford offers advice for dodging fashion’s banana peels:

Defining your own personal style: Take a look at what’s worked for you in the past.

“Think back about what are your five favourite outfits,” says Mr. Ford. “What colours and fits do you feel are the most flattering? How do you feel the most comfortable wearing your hair?”

From that you can come up with a list of things that define you. … Then each season, you can update your look because there are always new versions of whatever the thing that suits you is.”

The biggest mistakes that women make: Jumping on trends they aren’t comfortable in.

“If a trend strikes a chord with you, then try it. But if you don’t care about fashion, then don’t try it,” he says. “Know your own taste and buy the things that make you feel good.”

Men’s biggest faux pas: “They let their wives dress them,” says Mr. Ford. “In doing that they are denying their ability to express themselves through clothes.”

Remember, this is coming from the man who put Gucci back on the map. He’s certified fashion royalty, stylish, sexy… and he says that you should develop your own style instead of slavishly wearing whatever he designs each season.

So next time the season’s hottest trend doesn’t really feel ‘you’, put it back on the rack. Would you disagree with Tom Ford?

[OK, I'll disagree with him a little on his last point. IMO it's fine to help hubby refine his style if he's not that interested in clothing himself. That means helping him find things he likes and feels good in. It doesn't mean dressing him like a male version of yourself, because that always ends badly.]

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