Want to stand out this summer? Going floral is the way to do it, says Sophie Lewis.

(Pictures: New Look dress top; Topshop blazer bottom)

For many of us, a summer holiday won’t be happening this year. As the wrath of the credit crunch takes hold, dreams of droplets of time wasted on the beach doing nothing at all are fading. So you’re going to be left with an English summer. And a hot and glorious three months aren’t exactly traditional. But that’s okay, because you can rely on some floral patterned clothing to brighten up your days, instead.

Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and Nicole Farhi have all incorporated floral patterns into their catwalk designs this year. And they’re miles away from the images of flower-patterned curtains ripped from old ladies houses and transformed into awful dresses that might be in your head.

They’re bold and beautiful, with eye-catching designs and colours. And thankfully for the budget conscious, the high street stores are stocking up so anyone can look like they’ve just hopped off the catwalk. Here’s the Londoners guide to the 5 best items of floral clothing that (not much) money can buy:

1/ Topshop
The high street giant has a wide range of flower infused clothing, including an amazing pansy blazer (right, bottom) that will transform any outfit for £65, and won’t make you like Elton John.

2/ New Look
If you’re after dresses, New Look has the lot: strapless, thin straps, thick straps and t-shirt dresses. The most expensive is £30, so there’s something affordable for every occasion, and it’ll last far longer than some seven day holiday in some rubbish resort.

3/ Absolute Vintage
For anyone wanting a one-off, Absolute Vintage on Brick Lane has reasonably priced well-sourced and often unique vintage floral dresses in store or online at www.absolutevintage.co.uk.

4/ What The Butler Wore
Another vintage store, located in Waterloo, has some great floral accessories such as earrings and bags, which are ideal for anyone not willing to take the ultimate floral plunge, but still wanting to get in on the action.

5/ French Connection
If you and your girlfriend/boyfriend have designs on being the next Victoria and David Beckham, French Connection does some fetching floral shirts for men that are way more subtle than your usual Hawaiian shirt sartorial devastation job.