Just when is it OK to start wearing tights again? I only ask because I read in another august publication recently (although not as august as this one) that it is categorically wrong to wear them in the summer. And to think we used to laugh at those old rules about not wearing velvet before 6pm or white gloves before May.

Now I can see that there is something defeatist and thus innately un-British about encasing one’s legs in 90 per cent wool/10 per cent Lycra in July and August. It is part of the destiny of this island race to wear insubstantial clothing during what we comically call summer – and to look as though we are enjoying it. Until very recently I would have agreed that tights should be edited with Darwinian ruthlessness towards the end of May, and the survivors lovingly entwined with lavender bags and stowed away at the start of June, at the latest. But that was because there’s something uncomfortable about seeing someone sweating it out in black opaques when it’s 27C. It’s even less great if you happen to be that person. But that was before this summer, when a whole new climate debate opened up, sparking agonies of indecision over precisely when it’s acceptable to give up on the pedicures and get out your coat again.

You may shrug this off as behind the times in an era when high-heeled sandals end in December, halter-neck chiffon in February, and humans have been known to go bare-legged in January. In New York. But the fact is that although Michael Kors, the great purveyor of rich fashion American-style (ie, lots of beige cashmere), spoke for many when he famously opined that true luxury lies in completely disregarding the seasons and wearing the cashmere equivalent of a Kleenex and little else apart from a St Barts tan in the depths of winter, because it means you have a driver and limo on standby, he was only talking about disregarding winter.

Somehow the logic doesn’t seem to work the other way round. Wearing something spectacularly silky and insubstantial when it’s freezing is fabulous and brave. But tights in summer are nerdy, a bit belts-and-braces. I wouldn’t be surprised if this stigma had something to do with an atavistic fear of looking as though we suffer from poor circulation and are therefore – say it quietly – getting on.

Still, I’ve got a feeling that 2007 may prove a turning point: the moment when we reclaim tights, woollies and the occasional thermal vest and possibly even the lightweight coat for summer. It has to be a good thing. True freedom is dressing for the weather as it really is, as opposed to dressing for the weather we believe we’re entitled to – and traditionally the former has been a British strong suit. It’s what gave us floaty dress plus sloppy big jumper and Glasto chic (hotpants and wellies), both of which are pragmatic combos which have been internationally adopted. It also gave us that emblem of Britishness, socks with sandals, a style which admittedly has not gone global, although there’s still time for Prada to do something with it. Go with the climate and we’ll reclaim our position as a nation of spontaneous mavericks, as opposed to Liz-Hurley-on-the-red-carpet wannabes. Meanwhile, I’d give those winter boots a polish just in case you need them tomorrow. You know you want to.

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