If you’re going shopping this weekend, be prepared to buy something black and white. I don’t remember a time when one trend hit the high street with such force. Later on in the season we’ll be embracing through colour (that’s one bright colour head-to-toe, including shoes!) but for now, you should resign yourself to wearing monochrome.

Black and white was all over the catwalks for SS13, and your favourite high street brands – particularly H&M and Zara – have picked up on it with some vigour, whether it’s checker-board squares, houndstooth, or humbug stripes.

Of course, footwear has followed suit, and there are some great options out there for you already – so early in the season too! There’s something really dapper about black and white shoes, demonstrated beautifully here by Topshop.

I’ve fallen hard for these easy loafers from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s brand Elizabeth and James. Imagine how smart they’d look with some loose humbug striped slacks, a white shirt and a bare ankle. Mannish chic at its best.

If you find monochrome a little serious and want something more playful, look for a fun print like these stars from Office. They’re only £18, so there’s minimal risk buying into the trend at that price!

For the trend setters amongst you, look for black and white stripes to have the most fashion forward feet. Or even better, a checker-board effect. If you can play chess on it, it’s very en vogue!

Don’t forget that to really work this look, you need to wear black and white HEAD-TO-TOE. That might sound scary, but as there are only two colours involved (actually, black and white aren’t even classed as colours, so there are NO colours involved!) it’s easy. I’ve picked some of my favourite items from the new season above. Try clashing different prints and patterns for maximum impact and if you really need some colour in your life, add a flash of bright orange lipstick.