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.

While we ladies here at Secret Sales can’t wait for our Christmas party - so many designer clothes on show! - it came as a bit of a surprise to me recently that a few of my male friends have some fashion hang-ups when it comes to the festive season.

Invitations that say "Christmas sparkle" mean plenty of sequins, softness and style when it comes to women’s fashion, but leave many men (or at least the ones I know) a bit confused about where they should fall on the fashion spectrum.

Thankfully, Simon Chilvers of the Guardian has some wise advice for guys on the party circuit this Christmas.

He suggested that if you are not normally a silk scarf and cufflinks sort of fellow, December is not a good time to change your style.

Instead, he recommended options that are well-fitting and comfortable - cotton shirts are always a good option.

He wrote: " Ideally, you want to wear the shirt again, so don’t buy something that radically departs from your signature look."

If you are feeling particularly festive, why not pair it with a designer distressed velvet jacket from Burberry?

This year I’ll be wearing a classic LBD to my Christmas party - paired with some glorious designer shoes, of course!

What will you be wearing to yours?

We all know that the X Factor’s Dannii Minogue has what it takes to outdo fellow judge Cheryl Cole in the fashion stakes - but can she cut the mustard when it comes to designing clothes?

The Secret Sales office is buzzing with the news that Dannii looks set to launch a fashion business, according to a Grazia report.

I’m a huge fan of her outfits and just love how she’s managed to storm into the limelight with her fantastic hairdos and gorgeous clothes.

So if the rumours are true - and we sincerely hope they are! - I’m looking forward to checking out Dannii’s designs and seeing if they are anything like what she wears in front of the cameras.

And it doesn’t look as if this is going to be any old throwaway celeb fashion line - she’s going into business with Tabitha Webb, best known for her fabulous range of leather handbags.

I wonder what Cheryl will make of all this? She said in a MySpace web chat in October that she would love to start up her own fashion line - but it would be more high street than haute couture designer chic and, in any case, she wants to have enough time to do it "properly" herself.

Whose clothing designs would you rather wear - Dannii’s or Cheryl’s?

The fashion world is rarely without controversy and it seems the spotlight fell on easyJet last week (November 20th) for a photo shoot it published in its in-flight magazine.

A budget airline’s publication is not the first place we would look to for fashion inspiration here at Secret Sales HQ - it probably wouldn’t even be the last - but the company sparked outrage over the weekend for its use of location to shoot women in designer clothing.

The models were pictured among the Field of Stelae, a Holocaust memorial located in Berlin, and the oversight has caused much upset and criticism.

In a statement, the airline said: "easyJet prides itself on bringing together a wide range of cultures and beliefs and is appalled by this insensitive and inconsiderate photo shoot."

The company apologised for the incident and has said that it will be reviewing its contract with the publisher involved.

Some 2,700 concrete slabs make up the memorial, which is located close to the Brandenburg Gate.

Not so long ago, Vogue in France came under the spotlight for publishing racially insensitive images.

The October issue saw a Dutch model - Lara Stone - appearing in the magazine with painted black skin.

Do you think the fashion world needs to take more care with its image?

We love it here at Secret Sales when fashion and designer clothing goes to the movies and we were thrilled to hear via Vogue this week (November 18th) that the much-gossiped about Gucci film will be the next big project on director Ridley Scott’s agenda.

If you are a fan of the fashion house, then you may be familiar with its turbulent family history. And the biopic - which has been confirmed for early 2011 if all goes to plan - is set to be a thriller.

Scott told Vogue that the film would be about how the family’s story evolved and he wanted to "get the script absolutely right".

He added that it was too soon to confirm who will play the lead roles of Maurizio Gucci and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, but that hasn’t stopped rumours suggesting that it could be Leonardo diCaprio and Angelina Jolie.

Gucci’s origins began in 1921 in Florence when a luxury leather goods and luggage store was opened by Guccio Gucci.

It wasn’t until 1982 that Guccio’s grandson Maurizio took the reins of what was then a company with a lot of financial troubles and the family had become famous for its public quarrels.

The company was sold in 1993 and Maurizio was shot and killed in Milan two years later. His former wife Patrizia was convicted for ordering his killing and is serving a 29-year prison sentence.

Who do you think would be the perfect leading lady for this role?