Sometimes it makes sense to make a few investment buys along with a few bargain buys. EMMA HARROWING picks out the items that are on-trend for autumn and winter that you will wear forever.

Forget a spring clean, it's time for an autumn revamp of your wardrobe as investment buys, those fashion pieces that you will wear forever, are right on trend this season.

Classic shift dresses, pussy bow blouses, a neat pair of tailored trousers and the figure loving pencil skirt are all high in the fashion stakes this autumn and as they are classic pieces you will find that once you buy into this trend you will have a capsule wardrobe of clothes that you can wear for any occasion.

And it makes sense to invest a little bit of money into these timeless buys; after all, once you add up how many times over the next few years you will wear each item you will find that you are spending less per wear than you would on a piece that is cheap but that goes out of fashion or falls apart before winter is over.

When giving your wardrobe a makeover always begin by trying everything on. Clothes that no longer fit or you haven't worn in the last year take to the charity shop. Then make a list of the items you are short of – this is your shopping wish list.

To create a capsule wardrobe of clothes it's important to stick to a maximum of four colours that work well together. This way you will have a pair of trousers that can be worn with any top in your wardrobe and any top can be worn with any skirt and so on.

Choose colours that suit you. For example, for cooler skin tones stick to blue, red, white and black and for warmer skin tones stick to browns, creams and mustard.

Investment pieces should include a good coat, a jacket, a skirt, a pair of trousers, a blouse, a pair of boots, a pair of shoes and a dress. These should be in your set colours. You can then buy cheaper tops and accessories in the season's patterns and colours to make it look like you have your finger on the fashion pulse.

This season patterns include tartan, checks, and polka dots, while colours include berry reds, purple, mustard, orange and teal. If your capsule wardrobe contains blue, why not buy a cheap yellow belt and wear it with blue to create the fashion forward colour clash look? Or team browns and beiges with tartan and leather to get this season's heritage look?

Each season you can experiment with accessories and colour to update your capsule classics without having to buy an entire new wardrobe of clothes.

See the Life Matters guide to the pieces you should invest in this season which you will wear forever by clicking on the photo gallery link at the top right of this page.