Sound the klaxon: summer is officially here! It may have felt like it arrived a while back (then went away again) but even on days where you’re a tad unsure, the calendar does not lie. Likely, you’ll have already felt the steady increase in booked-up weekends and long-lost pals coming out of hibernation for a catch-up. There isn’t a day that goes by in the warmer months where a plan – preorganized or otherwise – doesn't demand your attention. No complaints here, but while our mentality is raring to go after the precarious social activity of the past couple of years, our wardrobe certain is not.

However, instead of getting in a tizz at the growing need for a different dress for every day of the week and a stark absence of anything useful for your first holiday since 2019, might we suggest simply hitting up Marks & Spencer’s new in. From chic city wedding slips to prim and proper party dresses suitable for a country manor soiree, M&S has come to the rescue as it always does with affordable and stylish occasionwear pieces for every invite this season. Not to mention it seems to have upped its game in the staples stakes with everyday tops, denim and casual flowy maxis that will cater to everything on the casual side.

As with any season, M&S always seems to produce some standout pieces that are practically guaranteed to sell out. We can already tell from their site that the Pure Cotton Printed Midaxi Tiered Dress has sold 100+ in the last 48 hours alone, whilst you’ll be lucky if the bank holiday perfect shirt dress below makes it until the Queen’s Jubilee.

Scroll on to discover the pieces we're scouting out for all this summer's events below. Our advice? Move fast - they won't be around for long.