When it comes to getting dressed, I like to be quick, as a rule. I can't be bothered with faffing about trying on this and that, so over the years, I've narrowed down my choices to things that all work together and can be put together as a no-brainer, leaving me more time for a G&T.

Some years ago, I wrote a list of 12 essentials an over-40s babe needs to keep in her wardrobe. If you keep all of these in, you'll always have something to wear. I've discovered other brands since then, so today, that updated list looks like this: 

1 Microfibre shorties. Go for a slightly low waist, and nude for the colour so that it goes under everything. Shorties give you a better line under clothing than a thong or brief and if your tummy or bottom are starting to sag, look out for those with butt-lift and tummy panels built in. The best are made by Jockey and Hanro but I because I live in France, I mostly buy Dim.

2 Nude-colour microfibre bodies or long camisoles, or a thermal camisole in silk jersey. If you choose the camisole rather than the body, make sure it's long enough to come down to at least your low hip, then it won't budge under clothing when you bend or stretch. If you choose the body, consider one with a built-in bra to minimise bulk and strap-show. Wearing underwear of this kind allows you to don low-waist or sheer clothing secure in the knowledge that you're properly covered up. It also has the secondary effect of smoothing over a bra that has lace or other additions, which many of the best support bras do. Check out Figleaves for ideas, or Winter Silks for thermal camisoles.

3 A decent bra. This becomes increasingly important as you age and the breast tissue softens, so keep your ideas updated - what suited you last year may not be right now. Wearing the right bra can take 10 pounds off your silhouette, so get properly fitted and when you find what you like, buy three of them (one to wash, one to wear and one to rest). Nude-colour is more flexible than white, then white, then black, then coloured items. If you're a C-cup or above, choose strong, wide straps that hoick your breasts forward and whatever your size, make sure the support comes from the band, not the straps (take your arms out of the straps and jump up and down to check). After 25 years of underwires, lately I'm a convert to the Doreen bra by Triumph, which is the best-selling bra in the UK. Sadly not the most attractive item to look at - though the Luxury option is an improvement - it gives a great shape under clothing, complete security as you move around and is so comfortable you don't know you're wearing it. I am also partial to the Grace bra by Royce and a very comfortable bra with padded straps by German firm Spiedel, which I found on Ebay. My latest purchase is a pack of three Ahh Bras to wear at home, when I don't need to hoick the girls up. 

4 T-shirts.  Only choose short sleeves if your arms are toned: long-sleeved tees are infinitely more wearable for most women and they cover a multitude of sins. When they appear in the shops with a neckline that suits you, snap them up, or order from a catalogue. I now rely on firms such as Lands' End and Gap for my cotton tees. Winter weight tees are usually better quality than summer tees - don't waste your cash on anything see-through unless you're aiming to wear it under a dress, in which case you want as thin as possible - American Apparel is a good place to look. A crisp white tee is as useful as a white blouse and can be dressed up or down accordingly, but almost any colour is wearable. Avoid logos and designs though - keep them plain if you're above an A cup, or you'll never make eye contact again. By and large a scoop-neck or v-neck is the most flattering neckline unless you're very thin, and cotton with some stretch - say 5 per cent - wears better than pure cotton.

5 Fitted white cotton shirts. Have a bunch of these in various styles - here's a good place to echo current trends, if that's your thing, or indulge a personal fetish for lace or embroidery. A shirt ending at around hip length means you can tuck it in or leave it out - keep it fitted, not tight nor too loose and baggy, so that you can layer both under and over. Vertical detailing such as pintucks, seams or pleats will lengthen your torso, making it looks slimmer - only choose items with horizontal details if you're small-busted. Whether you prefer collarless or collared is up to you, but generally, an ageing face benefits from a bit of tailoring and a shaped open rever or a standard shirt neck flipped up at the back are very flattering. Wear the neck open to give you a long, slimming, vertical line. Just above your bra is a good level, but if you feel this is too revealing, fill in the gap with a camisole or light t-shirt. White shirts are available everywhere, but Gap do good cotton ones and George at Asda do fab poly-cotton ones if you're short of cash. For investment pieces, consider Shirin Guild or men's shirtmakers such as Hilditch and Key.

6 Sweaters. By this I mean thin 2-ply cashmere or merino if you can stretch to it, something like Courtelle or a soft viscose if you can't. Choose crewneck for the most mileage, v-neck to be flattering, or poloneck if you're the chilly sort, and always buy them long-sleeved and at least hip length. These thin jumpers should be close-fitting - loose enough to get a blouse or tee underneath but still tight enough to go under a jacket. You need at least three - one in black, one in a paler neutral such as cream, beige or grey, and one in a colour that really makes your complexion sing - but having more won't hurt.

7 Well-cut black pants. Follow the style of the day, but not slavishly - avoid fashion extremes such as parachute legs and fiddly details like cargo pockets. Most women are well-served by a slightly low waist (ie: just under your belly button, not a low-rider), no pockets and a side zip to minimise bulk. This style of waist is very clean and allows you to wear your tops either tucked in or layered on top. Keep the leg bootcut, straight, full or flared. For fibres, anything matt and with some stretch is useful - wool/poly blends, microfibre and stretch velvet are all good options. I buy mine at La Redoute, from the supermarket, or from Lands' End.

8 Jeans. Choose a slightly low waist for minimum bulk, some stretch in the denim (2-10 per cent), dark indigo dye and a boot cut hemmed to the right length for either flats or heels. This type of jean will take you almost everywhere except formal offices and functions and it practically never dates - for this reason, avoid acid-washes, stonewashes, cropped legs, zips at the ankles, paper-bag waists or anything 'trendy'. A bootcut is not only flattering on every woman with hips or a backside, it also gives you the option of wearing long boots underneath in cool weather. You can wear these jeans with a t-shirt every day, with a jacket to smarten them up, with a white shirt, a sweater or a frilly blouse. When the denim starts to look tired, chuck it in the wash with a pack of Dylon dye and follow the instructions. Don't allow your denim to get stained, messy or faded unless it's strictly for casual wear - only young, thin people can get away with looking scruffy. After indigo blue, neutral colours such as black, grey and beige will give you the most mileage. Personally I favour Boden, which has a choice of bootcut width, and Lands' End.

9 Knee-length skirt. Somewhere around your knee, from slightly above to slightly below there is a length that is perfect for you. Take the trouble to find it and your legs will magically slim down and lengthen. Once you do find it, have all your skirts altered to fit (this might entail a visit to the tailor, as if you shorten skirts you often have to narrow them too). The knee-length skirt is always appropriate wear for business but you can wear it to work all day and still go out in it in the evening. Black woolmix with some stretch is probably best, followed by a neutral with some texture, and pair it with dark tights and shoes or boots. I have skirts this length in wool flannel with a lace hem, microfibre with a beaded hem, wool crepe with a wrapover front, velvet and cord. 

10 A classic coat. You can't go wrong with a trenchcoat or fly-front polo-coat of the Burberry type in a dateless colour such as beige or navy. Bought with a zip-out lining it will take you through at least three seasons each year. The real thing is always worth the investment but cheap knock-offs can be found in microfibre with poly linings and they will go in the washing machine. If you're looking for a winter coat, the most flattering shape on women remains the classic wrapover camelhair with a standard or shawl collar, worn to the knee or calf, belted or unbelted. In a good colour like beige, navy or black, it will take you from office to night out to a weekend in the country with nothing more than a change of accessories. Wool-poly blends will last you 2-5 seasons, while a good cashmere will last a lifetime. Incidentally, this is the coat that has consistently tested as the most appealing to men, if that might sway you.

11 Black leather footwear. Shoes are a very personal thing. One of my friends has over 65 pairs and favours leopard-print stilettos; I have about 10 pairs and favour stack-heeled boots. One thing we're both agreed on, though, is that the black leather ones are the ones we really wear. However full your wardrobe is of spiky-heeled satin numbers, pink suede peep-toes and diamante-studded boots, the fact is that streets are dirty, driving takes its toll and your feet can get cold nine months of the year. Good-quality footwear is a must, whether it's Footglove sandals, Chanel slingbacks or Shelley's boots, and black leather requires the least upkeep. Decide on your style - flats, court shoes, spike-heel boots - and maintain them well.

12 Accessories. Here's where any woman can dress up her basics and really make the most of colour and trends without breaking the bank. So if there's a season's colour that you like and it suits you, buy it in a scarf or belt rather than something expensive like a jacket. If there's a fussy trend in bags or belts, such as studs, fringeing or crochet, consider carefully whether it works on you - nothing updates an outfit quicker than a change of bag, but nothing dates it quicker either. Also, few things date a woman of a certain age more than an unwise belt (my once-favourite 4-inch deep black elastic belt with gigantic double peacock bronze clasp doesn't look quite so good now that it's not teamed with football-player shoulders and a big swirly skirt...) Trends apart, you'll still find that the accessories you wear the most are in good quality materials such as silk, wool and leather, and in neutrals such as brown or black, or cosmetic colours that flatter your skin. This means items such as leather belts half an inch to one inch wide, silk foulard squares, long velvet scarves, dark leather gloves and classic hats such as berets and fedoras.

One of my readers, Julie, called me 'continental-elegant' the other day, which I must say I'm very flattered by. Good job she can't see me, though, is all I can add.

Today is one of those days when I realise my wardrobe is seriously schizophrenic. I'm sure we all have clothes for home and clothes for work, but since my home and my work are synonymous, what I have these days is clothes for home (Spudulika Slob - warmth being a priority) and clothes I can actually be seen dead in. Turn up unexpectedly and I don't mind you finding me in a Slob outfit, but I wouldn't actually go out in it. Nor, however, do I wear anything even remotely smart at home. 

Today, by lunchtime, I was on my fifth set of clothes of the day. This is a tad excessive, even for me, but it was unusually varied. I guess on most days in London, it was a case of sleepwear, workwear, maybe evening wear, then back home to sleepwear again. 

Today I got up (pink cashmere cowlneck and pyjama bottoms covered in penguins), and donned my slippers (green Uggs) and dressing gown (thick grey wool coat from Wetherall, top left) in order to have breakfast. I wear the coat as a dressing gown, incidentally, because I can't find a dressing gown warm enough. 

Then I drove into town (fleece-lined tracksuit bottoms, pink cashmere sweater, Uggs, Marinac jacket from Lands' End and purple beanie) and went swimming (which entailed a swimming cossie and flip-flops). 

Back home, I quickly changed to go to a Christmas fair at a friend's art gallery (black viscose poloneck sweater, black lambswool trousers, 1930s lamé jacket in red, gold and black, several strings of pearls, a gold and blue lamé trenchcoat I made from this coat at left and black suede boots with three-inch stiletto heels). 

Then it was home again, off with the posh togs and into a fleece polo, trousers and gilet, again all from Lands' End, to bum about for the rest of the day subbing copy and hugging the woodburner.

Talk about horses for courses. I was pleased to note, however, that although I can no longer endure the agony of walking about in high heels, I can still stand in them for a couple of hours, so perhaps they are not entirely a thing of the past. 

My face today, meanwhile, has gone from the usual blurry-eyed morning ruin to red-eyed chlorine monster, to fully-made up red-lipped maven and back to my normal worn-off-makeup-but-can't-be-bothered-to-reapply-it look.  Hopefully, however, it will not have to earn me any more bacon today, so I need not dig out any more Revlon China Red from the dregs of my 10-year-old lipstick case, which is increasingly becoming an exercise in futility. Time to track one down on Ebay.

Today shows up the problem with clothes - like a family car, it's almost impossible to get one thing that will do duty as another. The only solution is to have an extensive wardrobe - gosh how awful...

The girls and I had a clothes swap on Friday. These are fantastic events - held, on average, twice a year, when we swap our clothes over for the change of season.

As you pull all your last-winter or last-spring clothes out of their storage packs and try them on, you find that some things no longer fit - you've gained weight or lost weight, or you're just fed-up with the thing and fancy a change.

As age, with every passing month, changes my body yet again - my colouring, my shape, my proportions - dressing becomes like chasing a Slinky down the stairs and a 'bourse' gives me the opportunity to obtain some 'new' stuff without spending a cent. It's also a great way to try new looks without risk - if they don't work, you just redonate them.

There were about 15 of us on this occasion and it always strikes me when we have a bourse how nice women are - we pick things out for one another, say: "No, you first," a lot, even as we pointy-elbow our way through the huge pile of cast-offs and stuff cheese nibbles and wine down our necks.

There must have been 20 bin-liners of clothes this time, along with books and ornaments, kitchen equipment etc, and at the end of the evening, I was left with just one bag of clothes to take to the Emmaus charity, along with a few ornaments. Two boxes of books went to a cancer charity and every other single thing was taken.

As more and more of these events have been held over the years, I see items coming around again. On Friday, it was my lovely old blue Shetland Fairisle gilet, which I donated a few years ago, has evidently been worn by someone else and has now been taken by my friend C for this winter. A real case of what goes around comes around.

I love clothes, but I must admit that I hate fashion.  I hate buying an expensive jacket and then finding it no longer looks current. I hate not being able to find the same flattering shade of red every year. I hate magazines being full of trends that are impossible for a woman of over 40 to wear. I hate passing on perfectly good, and expensive garments, simply because they are dated. 

Over the years, however, I've worked out what actually dates your clothes, and it's really quite simple: avoid extreme cuts and shoulder lines, and don't wear patterns. 

Your key pieces should LACK fashion detail as much as possible - then they will go on until they wear out. If you can build this kind of longevity into your basics, that also means you can afford to spend more money on them because you'll get more wear out of them.

So here are some key items that are wardrobe investments - dig deep into your wallet. Here's what to look for.

1    White shirt. Buy this in pure cotton poplin, oxford cloth or lawn, or in a good cotton with a little stretch. If it's cotton, buy the best quality you can afford, such as Sea Island, Egyptian, Supima or Pima (in that order of preference). A fly front gives a neater finish than buttons, though buttons give you more variety if you're willing to change them every year, and it should have a classic collar (see pic) rather than a penny collar, cutaway collar, wing collar or any esoteric style. Make sure it also has a yoke (a yoke reduces strain on the garment, and also makes it fit better), which should be quite narrow (1.5-2in is plenty) and that the sleeve head (top of the sleeve) meets your shoulder line as exactly as possible.

If your bust is a B cup or below, you don't need darts in a shirt, but if it's a C cup or above, look for princess seams (they run from the waist up to the armpit or shoulder) or vertical darts, rather than bust darts (which go sideways) in order to shape the garment - most of the shaping, on a quality shirt, is done via the side seams. If you have a very large bust, buy from a specialist such as Bravissimo, which allows you to choose via bra size, not dress size. 

The ways you can dress up a white shirt are almost endless. It will go over a camisole, vest, t-shirt, poloneck or thin crewneck sweater, it will stand alone, and it will go under a jacket, a crewneck sweater, a v-neck sweater or a cardigan. You can also wear it as a summer top layer instead of a jacket.

The bottom of the shirt should be shaped (a straight cut can be binding on your hips) and the sleeves should be long. Cuffs can be either French (foldback) or button. If you choose French, you can vary your look with cufflinks.

Make an investment with this item: you should expect to pay at least £70 for a really good shirt (the one shown is £69 from Thomas Pink), and £150 wouldn't be out of order, but its cost per wear will be minimal - I've had my Thomas Pink shirts for over 20 years and they're still going strong. The best brands are the traditional Jermyn Street makers Thomas Pink, Hilditch and Key, and Turnbull and Asser, or brands such as Jaeger, Aquascutum, Burberry or Austin Reed. If you live in the US, Brooks Brothers is the standard.

Once you're got your basic white shirt, buy the same kind of thing in different weights of white, or white on white patterns such as herringbone and in colours - black, beige, pink and navy are all useful.

* What dates shirts? Exaggerated collars, a dropped shoulder line, fancy yokes, breast pockets, logos, monograms, messages, fancy details, patterns.

Part 2: little black dress.

It was the usual fun - 10 of us this time (the more the merrier, generally) and everybody, as usual, brought an astounding number of bags of used/new/too small/too big/wrong shape clothing to swap. After aperos, we all delved in, and - says the DH - the volume increased to remarkable levels.

It is nice to pick up 'new' stuff free of charge, but also nice to see once-favourite clothes going around again. My old straw-coloured chenille waistcoat with abalone buttons, which I gave to M, has been redonated by her after a couple of years' wear and was picked up by another friend. Ditto my old sage-green fine-knit cardigan, which I loved beyond measure but which had sleeves for someone with chimp arms and which I never wore. M has worn that too for a couple of seasons and now it's time to move it through her wardrobe and on to someone else. 

My personal haul was very classic this time: a beautiful blue linen skirt from a friend who has lost weight, four pairs of black linen pants - just the sort of thing I live in, in summer - along with a bunch of long-sleeve crewneck tees, most of them unworn. Thus do we French rural types benefit from the buy-it-now, try-it-on-later habits of spendthrift Brits.

People also brought books, shoes and the odd household item (sometimes it's masses of electrical goods, or crockery) and at the end of the evening, I asked everyone to take one charity bag. This goes to Emmaus - about our only charity locally, which sells items to help the homeless, and also picks up furniture for the newly homed. Other than that, these used clothes will all go in the recycling bin at the supermarket, Le Relais, where they are sorted for the third world, but in fact mostly go to make eco-friendly roof insulation.

This morning, however, as I sorted out the charity stuff from the shredding stuff and put my new stash away, I felt a firming of purpose and decided to throw away yet more clothes, but using a different criterion. Does this, I asked myself, make me feel good about myself when I put it on? I do have a horrible habit of keeping knackered old crap on the premise that it'll DO.

So this morning, into the recycling bag went a great many washed-out dingy t-shirts, because, as I said to my friend N, how many gardening outfits does a girl really need? I've kept a few of my very longest t-shirts for doing dirty work, but seriously, it's time to admit defeat on the others, stiffened and browned by our earthy well water, especially as I have so many perfectly usable and much nicer tee shirts to wear.

So what with that, and my new template-folding system, my cupboards are now feeling satisfyingly empty, and I am looking round for other stuff to throw away.