Jackets for the British Spring and Summer Time

With British Summer Time happening at the weekend, let's celebrate in the most British way possible: with a new coat. Unlike our European cousins, we know that the majority of our 'summertime' will be spent being optimistic but goosepimply. So, although your new spring/summer coat will be lightweight, the decision over its purchase is most definitely not.

For a cheering design, it would be hard to beat the joyous combination of the gorgeous coral and the playful polka dots used on The Whitepepper's swing coat, £80 (it also comes in a more practical navy, for when the reality of what British summertime is actually like kicks in).

For more spots, Kling has a coat entirely covered in them, checks too. This design works out at roughly £113 including shipping to the UK from Spain. (The Whitepepper have a nice checked number as well.)

Those &Other Stories striped flats have given me something of an obsession with black and white stripes. It's all zebras, zebra crossings and this spring trench in my life at the moment. This is £103.20 from Boden but ASOS have a cheaper version with bigger and bolder stripes, or Joy do preppy style proud with their Eden blazer.

Trench coats are a spring coat classic. This version from &Other Stories, £79, is available in the more traditional beige and black, but I'm in love with it in this brightest blue.

Singing and dancing in the rain is always more fun if your coat has a bit of a swish about it, like the flare on this houndstooth skirted mac. The price however, is cheerfully far from swish, available for £40 from Florence & Fred at Tesco.

And for when it's raining cats and dogs, naturally you'll need a mac covered with them. This cat city trench is from Modcloth and costs just over £90 including the shipping to UK. Topshop can provide the accessorising umbrella.

Topshop can also handle some spring colours too. This tailored lightweight coat will make you look cuter than a newly hatched chick. Or at least as yellow. It's £75.

I've got a bit of a high street crush on River Island at the moment, which has some surprising treats in store. This lovely kimono jacket is only £35, and also comes in a hot pink. (Oasis have a similar style drape jacket.)

This jacquard coat from Zara, meanwhile, looks minty fresh and is yours for £89.99.

There's masses of bomber jacket styles around at the moment, many of which echo too closely the styles I wore in the early 90s - when, basically, I had no style - for me to take them seriously. I could be tempted by Jovanna's youth culture bomber jacket (though the name obviously puts me off a bit) for its great pattern and slogan-free appearance. It's £70 through the Topshop website.

How nice would it be if the next few months resembled this butterfly blossom jacket, £70 from Oasis? And, if they don't, I'm just going to wear this and pretend they do anyway. Even if I'm sat inside my house because it's raining outside, again.