What do you love to wear? What makes you feel good as soon as you put it on and somehow helps your day run a little smoother when you wear it? This is the essence of our new spring edit, born out of lockdown reality but with one eye on a brighter future.

There’s no question that this last year has involved a lot of streamlining, and our wardrobes are no exception. We don’t want to live in our lockdown clothes for the rest of eternity, but there is undoubtedly something liberating about getting dressed from a more limited repertoire of pieces, not to mention prioritising comfort, practicality and how a garment makes you feel when you wear it. Plus, as the fashion industry attempts to manoeuvre itself into a more sustainable place, there has never been more reason to invest in classic capsule pieces – items which you can wear season after season, styled in a myriad of ways.

A good approach to stepping sartorially into a new season (or in this case a brave new world) is to focus on one or two statement pieces that really spark joy for you and build outfits around them. Then you can mix and match with good value essentials and existing pieces from your wardrobe, letting them act as a supporting cast to give the star piece more versatility, wearability and longevity.

Your star garment might be an instant-outfit dress with a punchy print that radiates happiness and goes just as well with your trainers and a knit as it will strappy sandals come summer. Or it could be the trench that instantly adds polish to your look, whatever lies beneath. And let’s not forget the classic white shirt that has more uses than we can count.

These are clothes to wear now, reflecting our world as it is, so we asked five inspiring women to style and photograph the collection their way, at home. These are easy-to-wear elevated staples you’ll want to select on repeat as we usher in an optimistic new season. Hopefully, they’ll make getting dressed that little bit easier, too.

All hail the trench! It’s a wardrobe classic for a reason… well, several reasons actually – it’s polished without being stuffy, it’s timeless, it’s as good with jeans and a Breton top (as demonstrated by Eloise) as it is with a floaty dress, and it’s just the thing to wear between seasons or when the weather doesn’t quite know what it’s doing. Make it more of a statement by going for a colour block style – the added detailing will make you love it even more.

A classic white shirt is one of the most perennially stylish items in a woman’s wardrobe, as demonstrated by Charlotte. She’s utilised the sharpening qualities of this brilliant value JL&P style with a floaty printed skirt paired with a soft cardigan, and in a modern tailored look with leather skirt and khaki jacket.

Then there’s the simplistic genius of a clean white shirt paired with relaxed blue jeans – the epitome of nonchalant chic and beloved of a plethora of strong, inspiring women over the decades from Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall to Patti Smith and Victoria Beckham. And it should really have got its own acting credit in Pulp Fiction thanks to Uma Thurman’s twisting performance in Jack Rabbit Slim’s restaurant.

Jumpsuits have been a key component of our everyday wardrobes for some years now. There have been various iterations, but the boilersuit or ‘flying suit’ (hello Anneka Rice and mums in the 80s) has that instant cool factor plus it gives you a complete look in one easy step.

Penny and Nikki – stylish mums, advocates of slow fashion and co-founders of @styleinstix – are both fond of an all-in-one and loved the Ro&Zo denim jumpsuit, available in stone and blue. At £89 it’s more of an investment piece but – as Nikki demonstrates – you can style it in multiple ways (on its own with sandals and statement earrings, or layered over a simple striped top for instance) to give it longevity in your wardrobe.

Be warned – once you go jumpsuit, you never go back!