So, you stagger home after a particularly productive day at the sales, laden down with carrier bags and gloating quietly over your purchases. After a whirlwind trying-on session, you turn to the rather duller task of putting away your goodies. This is where it all starts getting a little hairy because the simple truth is, there is no room in your wardrobe for any more clothes.

The shelves are bulging with beloved but tatty jumpers, the drawers won't shut because your airplane-collared shirts are stuck in the runners and the witty little poodle coat bought in the sales three years ago might as well have come with its own kennel, it's taking up so much space on your clothes rail. If you want to find homes for your new clothes, you are going to have to edit your wardrobe. The first step, according to fashion stylist Catherine Condell, is to have a good look at some fashion magazines and have a look at what's in and what's out next season and also what you like and dislike yourself. Once you've done your research, you'll have a better idea what to hang on to and what to get rid of.

Next she recommends pulling everything out of your wardrobe and dividing it up according to type - skirts, trousers, knits, and so on. Once you've done that, break each group down further into colour blocks, putting all your black trousers or red tops together. At this stage you should also pull out all your shoes, scarves and accessories. "This is a good idea because it becomes very easy to see what you actually have in your wardrobe - we all tend to forget what's actually in there," points out Condell. Now is the time for a massive mixand-match trying-on session. "Once you know what's in fashion, you may find that there's something in there that will work for this season, teamed with something new."

This is a policy that Maria Roche, head buyer of Arnott's younger fashion range Impulse, also follows. "I'll often go for fashionable fabrics, teaming something this season like boucle or tweed with a classic from my wardrobe like a leather skirt or a pair of black pants." Both agree that outerwear such as coats or jackets, and classic shapes in plain colours are the best things to hang on to, while cheap tops, T-shirts and scarves in this season's colours are the easiest, cheapest and most fun things to buy in - and get rid of - by season. Other features which age badly include trouser shapes, jacket styles, shoes and colours which are particularly hot for one season only - think of brown two years ago for example.

So what to do with all those bags of clothes that you don't want or need any more? If you've got some very good designer pieces it might be an idea to take them to one of the many swap shops around the country. If you want to do this, it's best to ring them first and see what they will accept - at Stage II in Glasthule they usually only go for designer outfits that are a year or two old, but they point out that every shop has a different client base and different requirements.

Catherine Condell recommends offering your unwanted clothes to charity shops who "need it more than you do". Most of these are happy if you turn up with bulging bags of clean clothes, as long as they're in reasonable condition. If you feel your gear would be an insult to hand over to anyone, look out for recycling bins around the country. Louise East