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You may be familiar with Seasonal Affected Fashion Anxiety (SAFA). If you are a sufferer it hits at roughly the same time as hayfever and by mid May you’re experiencing most of the symptoms.
For any lucky 50-something women out there who don’t know what I’m talking about, SAFA is the fear of leaving behind navy and grey, high neck jumpers, all the no-dirt-showing colours and long sleeves, plus (worse) fretting about what we wear instead.
And, let’s face it, the prospect of switching into lighter, less covered-up clothes gets more daunting with the passing of every year.
It’s the re-entry that’s hard. Once we’re through the early stage, we’re OK – it’s finding the right pre full-on-summer wear when we’re just out of dust sheets that’s daunting.
Fortunately, I have some tips for alleviating the worst of SAFA…
Ditch your greys
Colour is the fastest, safest way to dip a toe into the next season without changing very much. Note: don’t wear black at this point. There’s lots of time for summer black and dark navy, but in May it feels autumnal. Instead go for chocolate brown, cinnamon, tan, olive, khaki, dark reds.
Wear those white jeans
These are the months when they look their freshest and best contrasted with a medium weight jacket or sweater.


And a shorter jacket
You may have one tucked away, if so bring it out and wear it with a lighter blouse. Short looks more summery and it doesn’t have to be super lightweight or pale. The really useful shorter jacket is that brown suede one we keep hearing about: light but not too light; leather but not wintry. John Lewis does a forever boxy style in tan (£299, johnlewis.com) or Tu Clothing’s khaki suede effect jacket (£28, tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk) is a steal.

Dig out a linen shirt
My lifesaver when the sun comes out before I’m feeling ready to commit to summer is a boyfriend, striped linen shirt (£120, withnothingunderneath.com). They’re not the cheapest on the market but they last for years and they seem to crease less. I wear it the way I wore a polo neck in winter. With denim. With brown cords. With ecru trousers. Tucked into an A line skirt. Also on days that are not so warm, it looks Just Summery Enough under a knitted vest.


Don sunglasses
Cool, classy shades will summer up your look instantly and shades allow you to wear sweaters, light wool blazers, a trench coat – all the ‘transitional clothes’ – without looking like you’re a summer refusenik. Try Cos for designer-look Seventies style aviators (£75, cos.com)


Put away your tights
Wear flat shoes (loafers, square toed flats) with bare feet (or concealed socks). When you’re not ready to show your calves (and I’m not), a flash of bare ankle under the hem of your trousers or a skirt goes a long way.
The flats the fashion girls swear by at the moment – because they’re high enough in front to be flattering and sturdier than ballet pumps – are LK Bennett’s square toe flats (£159, lkbennett.com). Likewise bare toes (plus pedicure) in open leather sandals is a top Summer Refusenik compromise.


Sunny up denim
Keep wearing all your denim, but add an unmistakably summer element. A butter yellow knit top (£55, marksandspencer.com) or a white broderie-trimmed blouse. Don’t look for brights yet. They’ll feel too Carmen Miranda and you’ll fall back on your dowdier winter wardrobe.

Get a raffia bag
When bright or white accessories still don’t look right, but you want to move away from dark leather, raffia goes with everything and looks Just Summery Enough.
And Other Stories does a neutral woven straw hobo bag (£87, stories.com); M&S has several raffia styles including a slouchy shoulder bag with a leather look strap (£39.50) and Mango has a good raffia belt with an oval brass buckle (£22.99, johnlewis.com) to go round the waist of a skirt or shirt dress.


Pick up a shirt dress
Just push the long sleeves up a bit and add a raffia belt. H&M has a button-through midi shirt dress in nine colours and patterns (£22.99, 2.hm.com) and Zara has a good selection, too.

Pop on a silk scarf
All the colours you’re not ready to wear head to toe, usefully employed to hide your neck. The best places to find silk squares are Toast (toa.st.) and Zara.
