The best thing about having an old friend come to stay is that you can tap in to her wardrobe (evil laugh)… My friend Elly and I shared a flat in London together for years and by the end couldn't tell who had bought what – we just had one enormous collection of clothes.

A decade later and we may live in different countries but our taste in clothing is still very similar, so her arrival (large suitcase in hand) on the eve of my birthday drinks was the lifesaver to my outfit meltdown.

One charcoal slip, wide black belt and cropped cardie later, I was ready to go, and felt as fabulous as if I'd just shopped up a storm. My bank balance is still saying 'thank you'.

For longer-term results, ask a good friend to do a seasonal clothing swop with you. Here's how to go about it without ruining the friendship:

Make sure you swop with a friend who has similar taste in clothing and style to you, otherwise you'll just feel frustrated.

Don't lend out your very best gear – rather keep it to a few tried and tested gems that you've had good wear out of. That said, don't be stingy – the cooler the stuff you give out, the better your chances will be of her returning the favour!

Have a strict, and agreed-upon, 'lending policy' so that you both know what is expected. For example, if it comes back damaged, you have to pay for it; clothes must be dry-cleaned before returning and no sub-lending to other friends. The idea is to take good care of your new wardrobe (like you would your own) so that you can rotate swops every couple of months and always have something new and cool in your closet.