When is it the right time to go bare legged? This is a dilemma I’ve never successfully solved (if you have a good hard-and-fast rule on it, I’d love to know!). But when the sun came out I went for it, despite it being March. And I was freezing all morning until temperatures headed higher at lunchtime. Even so I felt uncomfortable all day (probably because I am of a paler persuasion).

Obviously, I have bigger worries than this: I mean we’re producing two ELLE cover shoots in Los Angeles right now, planning a project with , moodboarding our new trends fashion shoot for the August issue and sending the June issue to press in less than a week.

Today, I chose a lightweight mac, which is easy to wear and carry about, a black dress and black flat-fronted Christian Louboutin shoes that I’ve had for five years and keep in the office as they work with everything. Summer black is a trend and at ELLE we think the best way to wear it is bare legged.

I’m off to visit the Harry Potter studios this weekend with my children, which is a whole new sartorial dilemma. Bare legs will be the least of my worries at Hogwarts!

(Silk scarf by Fred Butler)

I love a bright scarf with black and this one would work well. I have a Sara Berman one which is good for work and weekends.

(Bag, £895, by Jimmy Choo)
Accessorising black with this small clutch makes it look summery.

(Shoes, £517, by Nicholas Kirkwood for Roksanda Ilincic)

These Nicholas Kirkwood for shoes win the prize for cleverest use of the new neons. Could you wear them to work though?