Summer can be a difficult time for the British woman – with typically 11 days of sweltering hot weather, interspersed with cool gloom, it’s hard to know what to wear. Even in a longer hot spell few of us are properly equipped and end up wearing our usual clothes, just less of them. Here are some tips to plan your summer wardrobe:

Think about looking summery while keeping warm – lighter coloured ¾ sleeve tops or a lighter coloured cardigan will keep you warm and covered for work but you’ll still look summery.

Keep a close eye on clothes you can wear from spring through to early autumn – so you avoid having to spend a fortune on clothes for a short period. Think brightly coloured cardigans, chiffon tops and knee length patterned skirts. If you feel bare legs are inappropriate at work you could try a long skirt.

Add some accessories – leather flip flops, casual jewellery with natural details such as shells or leather to give you a summery look

Work out your colour scheme (you will already have done this if you’ve had your colours analysed) – and build a summer capsule wardrobe – for example you could use brown and turquoise. A pair of brown linen trousers, a brown/turquoise patterned skirt and a few tops in coordinating colours can be your staple wardrobe which you can build on. Vest tops that you can wear alone, under other summer clothes and through the year will be invaluable.

Use fabrics cleverly – linen as mentioned (but not both top and bottom or you’ll look like an old dishrag), plus sheer lightweight materials. This way you will LOOK summery even if your work’s air conditioning is on full blast or you’re sitting pretending to be warm in a pub garden. Open-toed shoes will have the same effect, as will a cotton/straw bag.

Steer clear of black if you can – it looks harsh next to the skin in summer and there’s nothing worse than carrying on with your uniform of black trousers/black cardigan in summer.

Make sure you take a good look at yourself in the mirror in new outfits. If you rarely wear knee length skirts you need to look carefully at whether those shoes really look right with them.

With a little planning summer can be a breeze!