White hot: How to wear summer’s coolest colour

There’s something intrinsically summery about putting on a freshly laundered white shirt on a July day. We like Swedish brand’s Asket’s 100% traceable style (£110), Everlane’s boxy Oxford style (£85) and All Saints’ linen button-up (3, below). Nicola Coughlan’s Simone Rocha shirt dress (below) is a cool update on the white shirt. Get the look with Palmer/Harding’s pleat trimmed or belted statement shirts from The Outnet (£180).

It’s not just shirts in the spotlight either. Relaxed trouser suits were spotted on the runway at Hermès and Valentino. Check out H&M’s version (2, below), which is perfect styled with white trainers. Whether you choose to wear it head-to-toe or in wide-leg trousers, shorts, or this season’s runway hero, the white tank top – which dominated the shows from Prada to Bottega Veneta, (available on the high street in organic cotton, (£15), from Arket), – at least one of these items should feature in your summer wardrobe.

Nicola Coughlan wearing Simona Rocha at Wimbledon Photograph: David M Benett/Getty Images for Pimm’s

SS22 saw white make a slick impression at The Row, where coats and dresses brightened the runway, while at Chloé, Gabriela Hearst chose a bohemian-style white dress to open her show, using size-inclusive models to reiterate that this look works on every bodyshape. Reformation’s Michaela babydoll dress with long sleeves, (1), is available in size 18-28 and Fatface’s linen shirt dress, (£75), runs from 6-20. A white summer dress is a piece you can pull out year-on-year, broderie anglais styles don’t date – take a style note from the ever chic Sienna Miller and style with snakeskin shoes and a bold red lip.

Naysayers will denounce white as high maintenance and warn that it requires a certain level of care with beverages. This, while true, makes it an ideal candidate for rental – wear once and return, and let the hire company sort out the cleaning. Mywardrobehq.com has several white-dress options including a Cecilie Bahnsen voluminous mini (£44 for four days) and Victoria Beckham shirt dress (£6 for two days). Just be careful with the takeaway coffee!