From left: Missoni, Gucci, Pucci, Marni, Just Cavalli

What?
Say hello to fashion’s latest super-sartorial solution, the answer to all physical and economic woes: the trans-seasonal tunic. Who said designers don’t have our best interests in mind? The style bridge between summer heat wave and autumnal chill (just add tights and a long-sleeved T-shirt or polo neck), the tunic is also an utterly forgiving garment, well-suited to almost all shapes and ages.

Where?
Tunics made their debut during the Roman empire and have been around in one form or another ever since. For summer, think bright, tropical colours and silky, floaty fabrics – the stuff Cleopatra might have sported after a luxurious milk bath – while in winter the look is heavier and often woollen (and, if you’re Alice Temperley, adorned with woolly pompoms).

At Marni there are heavy silk versions in warm, autumnal hues; at Missoni and Matthew Williamson, blooming florals; at Michael Kors, nautical styles perfect for the beach. Even Marc by Marc Jacobs has taken his colour blocks to it.

Tunics have matured – no longer relegated just to summer strolls, they’re now the domain of winter work and evening wear.

Why?
It’s August and, let’s be honest, the shops aren’t exactly brimming with undiscovered treasures. Otherwise known as fashion’s limbo period, this is the month for championing any item you can wear during the professional wafting season – that is, by the pool. Tunics are practical and won’t take up room in your suitcase.

Later, away from the sun, when the holidays are over and the grey mist has descended, the self-same garment looks 1980s cool with leggings or thigh-high boots (yes, don’t cringe, they’re back, and you can get them in black leather at Gucci for £1,560).

Should you invest?
Since in summer the tunic morphs into an upmarket kaftan and could therefore be prone to the hazards of sea salt, chlorine and stray blobs of citrus sorbet, a high-street version with a high-street price in an I-can-get-away-with-this-on-the-beach eye-popping colour – think Topshop’s half-sleeve floral versions or a zingy cotton number from the Gap sale – is a practical option.

But if you plan on wringing the most out of your investment, heavy silk or wool is the only way to go in the winter, and that means taking a walk down designer street. You will be rewarded with longevity and a shape that will hold for seasons to come. And considering the tunic has the staying power of an indestructible superhero, that’s no bad thing.