Although shopping may be good for you (from an exercise perspective, not a financial one), it seems that people in the UK are doing less and less of it - unless they are simply looking out for bargains and heading to clothingsales?

Figures published this week (January 14th) by the Office for National Statistics, spending on clothing and footwear by households in the UK fell to its lowest level during 2008 since the period of 2001 to 2002.

They obviously weren’t looking at my bank statements!

According to the research, the average family spent £21.60 per week on clothing and shoes. However, the "all-time high" for this category of spending was in 2004 to 2005 where it reached £23.90.

On Monday, Victoria Beckham admitted to being addicted to shopping - stating that to her, it was like a drug.

She confessed to spending £1 million in one shopping trip, on a single street in Milan recently!

"It’s as if all of those wonderful shops are calling out to me, ¬saying, ‘Come and buy me! Come and buy me!’" she said.

Designer handbags, designer shoes, sunglasses and designer dresses were among her extravagant purchases.

Did you hit the high street straight after Christmas dinner - in search of that perfect designer handbag or for something to treat yourself with?

Well if you did you are not alone, in fact you are one of the millions of Brits who raced onto the high street to purchase bargains as the sales began.

According to data from Experian, there were 17.9 per cent more shoppers on the streets this year compared to a year ago.

Richard Dodd, a spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium, commented that it was the best start to the post-Christmas sales for the last few years.

He added that there were some great deals out there and savings to be had on women and men’s clothing and fashion for kids.

Whether you want to pickup luxury lingerie, straight-leg jeans, a Billy bag purse or Ted Baker suit, you are certain to find it over the next week or so - and with a hefty discount.

If you are still planning on making a sales shopping trip then you might want to look out for practical style clothes as these will be a big trend in 2010, according to fashion experts.

Have you picked up any bargains in the sales? How much have you managed to save? We’d love to know at secret sales.

Whether your own personal designer handbag brand of choice is Dior, Chanel, Mulberry or Fendi, no one can deny that accessories label Furla has been doing pretty well over recent years to build up quite a firm following - and at half the price of the favourites.

While granted, nothing could ever beat the fabulous luxe designs that we have come to associate with the aforementioned labels, Furla has managed to produce something completely unique and innovative within the high-end spectrum.

Taking a step away from the usual (and much-loved) heavy leather used in winter collection handbags, the label has gone all hi-tech and produced a range that is both stylish and sensibly practical.

The limited edition Down bag is set to be launched next week and is reportedly perfect for us UK fashionistas. The aesthetics are bang-on-trend, combining a sporty yet futuristic material with a slouchy and oversized shape.

And I’m not the only the one who thinks the bag is fabulous. Marie Claire has described it as "plumpy perfection", adding: "Made of waterproof micro polyester, [it’s] so light you’ll hardly realise you’re carrying [it] - makes a change from the tonne of leather we’re normally toting around."

Apparently the line has been priced to range from £75 to £110, but keep an eye out for future offers here at Secret Sales if you want to save a penny or two!

Which is your favourite designer handbag label?

Anyone who was on Oxford Street this morning will no doubt have had a giggle with their Americano when they spotted a troop of sexy young models clad in nothing but their underwear, marching down the street and waving Agent Provocateur flags. I was one of those people and honestly, I didn’t know where to look when I saw the dozen or so tall, skinny dominatrix-style women in their leather zip-up bras and pants, with braces, thigh-high boots, aviator shades and policeman caps.

My spies tell me that the so-called AP Super Army were on their way to Selfridges to promote the new Agent Provocatuer World Order campaign and Nikita range of underwear. It also coincides with the launch of the designer underwear brand’s new line of ad posters containing 13 different superhero types dressed in some raunchy ensembles.

While the designs looked fabulous on the gorgeous models, all I could think about was how ingenious a marketing campaign it was. With everyone from traffic wardens to bus drivers drooling over the troop first thing in the morning, I dare say anyone who made it onto Oxford Street will have been talking about the sight - what better way to advertise a brand?

We here at Secret Sales don’t have Agent Provocateur on our list of underwear designers, but we do have some equally raunchy labels that produce items with just as much sex appeal. In fact, we have loads of lingerie sales on at the minute, including Gossard, and among our upcoming offers are Ultimo and Rosy. So, start thinking about how you can sex up your life like the sexy army in London this morning.

What’s your favourite lingerie label?

With just weeks to go until Italy’s top designer clothing labels present their spring/summer 2010 lines during Milan fashion week, it should come as no surprise that most parties involved are a tad stressed. In fact, it could be designer handbags at dawn ahead of the biggest week of the year in the fashion capital as industry heavyweights Dolce and Gabbana have come under fire from some of their most important contemporaries.

Fashion houses Prada, Roberto Cavalli and Krizia are said to be fuming after the design duo changed the slot of their key catwalk show to avoid clashing with a Jewish festival. By moving their show from September 28th to 24th, Dolce and Gabbana have inadvertently wreaked havoc on the schedule, which is concerning for the other labels that fear their shows could be overshadowed.

Mariuccia Mandelli, founder of Krizia, vented her frustration to the Independent, saying: "They want to show their line on Thursday 24th at 16:00 (local time)? Well, we’re not going to move.

"They can’t be so overbearing. Between industry colleagues there should be some respect. They should remember it was I who created Italian ready-to-wear."

Indeed, I completely agree with her. Given the current economic climate and the fact that so many labels have suffered during the downturn, designers within the fashion industry should be joining forces and supporting each other. Dolce and Gabbana should at least try to reach a compromise with the designers they have offended by making such late schedule changes.

Design legend Roberto Cavalli hit the nail on the head when he was quoted as saying "arrogance doesn’t pay".

Do warring designers put you off their clothes?