A COLOUR traditionally associated with royalty, purple has enjoyed a strong presence on the autumn/winter catwalks, from delicate lavender to warm berry and deep aubergine hues.

Actresses Reece Witherspoon and Natalie Portman and even America’s first lady, Michelle Obama, have all got in on the act, with the latter recently pictured wearing a beautiful mauve shift dress.

And unlike grey, black and brown, some of the more neutral tones we tend to gravitate towards in the colder months, purple can warm all complexions and add a much-needed boost of colour.

But how easy would it be to find a stylish outfit in the shade of the season without a presidential budget? I set off with just £25 to find out.

After experiencing success at Asda in my last column, I decided to rummage through the rails again during a food shopping trip.

I had my fingers crossed I would find a knitted two-tone tunic dress as seen in the Sun newspaper for just £10 – raspberry on top with a plum skirt and black waist belt – and surprisingly, despite such prominent advertising, there were plenty on the shelf in my size.

As the temperature continues to drop, I plan to keep my legs warm by teaming the dress with a pair of black opaque 100 denier footless tights – a bargain at £3 also from Asda.

Alternatively, there was also a plain black version of the dress, which could be combined with purple patterned tights to make a statement. I really love the designs at www.tightsplease.co.uk , which regularly has special offers, leaving more cash to spend on clothes!

With £12 remaining, I wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to find a decent pair of shoes to match my new dress – usually, I have about half the amount to spend.

Out of curiosity I visited Internationale, a chain which is springing up in shopping centres in the south, for the first time, and I spotted a pair of stunning plum suede Mary Jane heels with ribbon laces.

Suede is one of my favourite fabrics for winter, so I was bitterly disappointed to see the shoes were £25 – completely out of my budget, unless I was prepared to walk the streets naked. Absolutely no chance of that happening unless large amounts of money were involved, for charity, of course!

I didn’t fare much better in Primark either. In fact, on my last two trips there I have left empty handed and most of the best heels are over £15 – is it my imagination or has it suddenly got more expensive?

Ditto for Peacocks, but fortunately I finally struck gold in Matalan with a pair of plum cut out lace up shoe-boots, priced at £12 – which matched my outfit and budget perfectly!

I would probably slip on a black blazer or cropped jacket to keep warm on a night out, or perhaps a boyfriend's cardigan with ballerina pumps instead of the shoes for a casual work outfit.

Complete the look with make-up in rich, jewel-like hues – try violet eyeliner or bold, wine coloured lips – or maybe just a slick of magenta nail varnish, depending on how brave you are!

LOOSE CHANGE

Accessorise your outfit with an extra-long charm necklace to lengthen your body, making you look slimmer, taller and more elegant. Primark and, believe it or not, Superdrug, have some great designs for under £3.99.