Lucinda Ledgerwood: the Apprentice star reveals her fashion secrets

I dress for myself, 100 per cent; or, in Apprentice-speak, 150 per cent. Although, having said that, I think colour and femininity are good things and that we should applaud them. The most important thing to me about my clothes is that they are comfortable and that I can move fast in them – anything else about them, colour or whatever, is just for fun.

I started playing around with colour a few years ago. I think red can work in your favour in the boardroom, but I would never wear it to an interview because it's too threatening. For a big, interview I would probably wear green. It's bright without being harsh and it's not too overpowering.

People often tell me they like the way I dress, and I've been called a little ray of sunshine in my office, which is lovely. If you're walking down the street and it's cold, wet and windy and you've got your beret on and a bright coat, people will always smile. They're always so much more receptive to you if you look colourful, and striking up a conversation is so much easier.

My wardrobe is all over the place. I'm pretty scatty, as was pointed out a couple of times on the show, so I tend to have piles of clothes everywhere. I know what's in each pile, of course. I'm not the kind of person who has her shoes in a shoe box with a Polaroid of them stuck on the front; I'm the person with all her shoes shoved into a drawer under her bed.

It takes me mere moments to get dressed. It's a question of getting out of the shower and then putting on whatever I feel like. It's different if I'm going to something important, though. That's when I get anal about things: I'll have picked out the clothes the night before and laid them out somewhere where my cats won't sleep on them.

Apart from berets, I can't stop buying gloves. I mostly find them in retro or charity shops. I feel the cold really easily, so if there's a nip in the air, I'll always put on a hat, gloves and neck scarf. The great thing about scarves is that they mean that you don't have to think about wearing jewellery.

I shop randomly. I'll go for a shop maybe twice a month and get all the things that I need. My favourite high street store is probably Topshop. I also go to LK Bennett. Their shoes are fantastic and their clothes are great, too – made from lovely soft material and cut nicely. You can also mix and match their clothes easily as they're always made from gorgeous tweeds and silks.

I don't really go to designer shops. I certainly don't know the names of any designers, except for Biba, I think that those old Biba clothes are really great. I'm not that interested in what celebrities are wearing. I didn't have a telly for five years before I went on The Apprentice, so I never watch make-over shows.

I've always got a pair of flat shoes with me and some high heels in a bag. There's nothing worse than having to hobble around all day in heels. It's ungainly, it's bad for your feet and it trashes your shoes. I'm probably further ruining any image I might have had by saying this, but I get my pumps from New Look or Topshop; they have fantastic colours and they're cheap, so if you find yourself in the middle of a muddy field it doesn't really matter because it'll be £10 to replace them.

I don't think clothes need to be pretentious to look nice. Right now I'm wearing pink satin pumps, a flowery white skirt, a pink camisole top and a blue cardigan with little beads on it and a flower in my hair. Flowers are another thing I collect. You can get them in Accessorize. They always look good. Just like berets.