The tights are off: a revealing guide to getting your pins out

Follow these four rules to avoid blue knees
Street style at Paris fashion Week
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Emma McCarthy10 April 2018

Ne’er cast a clout til May be out, our grandmothers warned us.

In other words, don’t pack away your winter coat until you can be absolutely certain the Beast from the East isn’t going to make yet another unwelcome appearance.

But Londoners aren’t known for their patience. And so it’s inevitable that the most enthusiastic fashion fanatics have seized on the first scrap of blue sky as a cue to whip off the deniers and brandish their pasty legs without so much as a fleeting glance at the coming week’s grim forecast.

I stand among these over-eager beavers. But it’s too late for regrets. Not now I’ve made the official post-opaques announcement to the entire female population in the office. But it’s the same story every year. And not just because I’m willing on the season of downing Aperol and replacing every meal with a picnic, but because of the simple fact that most clothes just look better without tights.

Though such premature dedication to the new season requires more than just a strategically hardy constitution. Instead, it pays to rely on a few bare necessities to guide you through the in-between.

Stories.com
Stories.com

First consider your hemline

A skirt cut above the knee commands a few more months’ waiting time and a liberal application of St Tropez before an attempt is made. But a length that falls exactly midway down your calf is your nearly-spring sweet spot.

Toast cotton twill drawstring dress, £185, Coast.com
Toast

Sleeves are also essential...

...as is sourcing a fabric that isn’t susceptible to falling apart under the pressure of the slightest breath of wind. Or turning transparent at the first drop of rain. Toast has this down to a fine art. Its cotton twill drawstring dress, for example, is a no-brainer buy and will prove the perfect partner to the insulating addition of a stripy top or Heattech roll-neck underneath.

One button double face coat in Sugar Pink, Jigsaw-online.com
Jigsaw

The right jacket is make or break

An unlined, double-faced wool coat will provide warmth without being too wintry — Jigsaw has a lovely one in peony-petal pink, or try & Other Stories for a mohair-blend version that features a striking pea-green check.

Alternatively, opt for a trench that falls to the same length as your skirt for a solution that still gives the illusion of shedding the layers.

Western ankle boots, £69, Topshop.com
Topshop

Finally, there’s the not-so-small matter of footwear

Contrary to popular belief, April does not mark the beginning of sandal season. At least, not when also attempting to bare up in a dress (trousers are a different story). A decent pair of ankle boots will serve you in better stead now than they did in the middle of February, but switch it up by choosing an alternative to basic black. & Other Stories has a great pair of gathered-cuff, kitten-heel boots in a brilliant shade of no-grass-stains-please white, while Topshop currently has a pretty razzy pair of gold cowboy boots to tap into two of spring’s most prolific trends in one go.

Follow these rules and the tricky transitional phase will be a breeze. Take it from someone who’s seen more than her fair share of blue knees.

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