Those of us who didn’t rush out to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales last week may now be inundated with brands in our inbox offering huge discounts and offers on things we never knew we needed.

I have never been one to shop at sale time, to be honest, as I always figure that whatever has been previously picked over and left behind by everyone else is something I probably don’t really want.

I know where I want to be between Christmas and New Year, and it’s certainly not rummaging through the Myer manchester department.

That said, I have a new fun fashion hack – shopping the northern hemisphere sales. All the winter fashion is on sale now, and you will thank me come next April/May in Australia, when it starts to get chilly and you have the perfect cold-weather pieces ready to go, which cost a fraction of the original price.

I spent a day shopping the online sales yesterday, sipping a cup of tea in the hot sun, trawling through questionable faux fur coats and horrible designer rain boots, so you don’t have to. Here are my tips.

1. Start with the classics

Anything too fashion-driven – because of a trend – may look tired by mid-2022 (and anyway, if it was that on-trend and fab, why are there still some left?).

Look for sweaters, cardigans, knit dresses and knit pants in your favourite colours, or core shades like black, navy, and grey, and put them away in a drawer in tissue when they arrive, to open like a present come autumn.

2. Invest in a beautiful coat

An expensive, well-made coat should last at least a decade, if not more, so the cost per wear is worth splurging on (especially at sale prices). Again, a black or camel coat will last the distance, but if the discount is very generous, it could be worth buying a statement coat in a colour, or pattern (hello, Etro velvet multicoloured bathrobe coat).

3. Boots

This is the moment to shop for boots, as the markdowns are significant and the style selection enormous. The same for great puffer jackets and fashionable parkas and rainwear, as we don’t have a vast amount of this type of clothing on offer here in Australia.

I bought a heavenly navy-blue satin evening parka that was reduced from $1900 to $200. I do hope we see some snow in Sydney sometime soon.

4. Evening bags

You won’t find the bag of the season at the sales, or anything remotely practical, but if you need a new, non-essential but cute evening bag, the prices are a steal.

5. Try to avoid returns

Apart from the wasted carbon points, it’s a major hassle to send items back because they don’t fit. It doesn’t make sense to risk buying anything too tailored or tricky. Choose oversized silhouettes that will be more forgiving, like A-line or stretch knit dresses, blanket coats, ponchos, wrap cardigans and exaggerated coat shapes.

Come winter, you’ll already be best dressed, and ready to go.