Dress M&S, £45

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“Ladies and gentlemen, in this hot weather it is advisable to carry a bottle of water with you.” We KNOW that, Tube lady. Please go on strike and leave us to swelter in peace.

But while some aspects of heatwave survival are obvious, others are tricky. Dressing for work is its own special nightmare. With your pale bewildered limbs blinking in the ­sunshine, all your clothes ­suddenly look too hot or too holiday-ish.

Most of us default to “dress-down hot day” – less formal, less fabric. Then you get to the office and realise your skirt may be see-through. And your bare feet look vaguely inappropriate under your desk. And the layering thing you’ve done with two strappy tops is way hotter and more scratchy than one shirt.

But it needn’t be stressful. These are your friends: natural fibres, shirt dresses, espadrille wedges and ­harem pants – all dressed up with statement jewellery. And these are your enemies: polyester, tight T-shirts, high heels and clingy minis.

Now, can someone turn the air con down? We’re freezing in here.

Hot tip

This shift hits M&S this week. Bright, breezy and office-appropriate, it’ll see you through summer and beyond.

Hot tip

No time to hit the fake tan bottle? Blue is the colour. It’s universally flattering on pale skin, especially navy.

Hot tip

Harem pants arecool and comfy and spare your legs blushes. Men hate them, but when did that matter?

STOCKISTS: The Body Shop www.thebodyshop.co.uk Coast coast-stores.com Erotokritos at my-wardrobe.com Gap gap.com John Lewis johnlewis.com Liberty liberty.co.uk Littlewoods www.littlewoods.com LK Bennett lkbennett.com M&S marksandspencer.com Nougat 0845 678 8150 River Island riverisland.com Topshop topshop.com