With spring finally rearing its lazy head, you could be forgiven for thinking that your layering days are numbered - at least until autumn.

But while dressing for a season that can be hot or cold (or sometimes both) on any given day presents a challenge, it's also a great opportunity to take some risks and inject some fresh colours and materials into your wardrobe after a long hard winter of black, grey, wool and more black grey wool.

Here are some key tips to mastering this notoriously tricky transitional season.

1 | Embrace colour

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Black is the new black and that's unlikely to change any time soon, but as soon as the sun comes out you might want to consider mixing some colour into your daily wear.

Throwing a colourful and or print piece over a more subdued first layer adds panache to your look without going overboard.

Coloured trousers are fine, but be mindful not go too bold if you're top half is already doing some of the talking.

2 | Don't give up on your accessories

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Accessorising in winter is fairly straight forward: just find a heavy scarf and a beanie, and you're done. Spring is a little trickier. Carrying a pair of quality sunglasses for those brighter days should be a given, but don't limit yourself just to that.

Adding a light scarf with a dressed-down suit can add some insouciance to your workday attire, and has the added benefit of helping to keep out some of the cold when the weather decides to change, which it will, a lot.

3 | Embrace technical wear

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Unless you've moved to the Himalayas to escape the horrors of the modern world, then you might have noticed that technical wear is having a bit of a moment.

As well as adding some sportswear flair to an outfit, technical pieces have the added benefit of being made out of light, windproof and breathable material, which is pretty much ideal for the caprices of British weather.

Look out for brands like Stone Island and Norse Projects, two labels that mix technical materials and design without compromising on wearability or style.

4 | Texture, texture, shapes and textures

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Chambray, canvas, cotton, linen, polyester; grandad collars, 50s collars, no collars: in spring, everything is up for grabs.

As exhibited by Italian street style veteran Alessandro-Squarzi, now's the time to throw some caution to the wind (though not much: we are British) and work with new materials, shapes and textures.

A field jacket in a classic military shade like the one worn here is sturdy enough to carry you through a spontaneous downpour, without being too bulky and allowing your other layered pieces, like your new non-traditional collared shirt, to show through.

5 | Stock up your spring armoury

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The real key to layering with confidence is to have your essentials in place. It's no good putting together a layered outfit full of great textures if you're spoiling it with a sloppy pair of shades or an ugly branded t-shirt .

With that in mind, invest properly in these key spring pieces and use them as the foundation of your look.

White T-shirt

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As the old adage goes, less is sometimes more, which is why your t-shirts should be completely plain, which in turn will mean it can go with anything...Anything!

Sunspel is always a solid choice, although there's nothing wrong with a high street option.

Classic sunglasses

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There's a reason why Wayfarers, Clubmasters and Gregory Pecks are still going strong, decades after their initial respective releases, and that's because they're iconic silhouettes that don't try too hard, which is exactly what you should be aiming for with your spring getup.

White sunglasses with coloured lenses? Leave those to the 13 year olds ...and Chris Martin.

A Light Wash Denim Jacket

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Finding the right denim jacket can be a thankless and harrowing task, but when you do happen upon one, it can be the skeleton key that unlocks and links together all other aspects of your spring wardrobe.

Use it as a finishing layer over a light jumper or t-shirt, or a middle layer under a field jacket or light coat.

You can never go wrong with a classic Levi's trucker, although we're particularly enamoured with this vintage-look Acne number.

Headshot of Finlay Renwick
Finlay Renwick
Deputy Style Editor
Mother, blogger, vegan, model, liar