We bet you’re feeling pretty smug, sat there in your skimpy shorts and sandals, basking in the sun. Well, bully for you. But, as you recline back as far as your seat will allow, consider this: you are now entering the last week of August. That’s right, our friend – summer is almost over for another year, and while that giant, blazing celestial body might be radiating its warm glow over you right now, it’ll be another spin around it before you’ll get to do this all over again.

The moral here is enjoy yourself (it’s later than you think). But also heed the warning of Aesop, the Greek storyteller rather than the Australian grooming brand (although do stock up on its Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm for winter). In his fable “The Ant And The Grasshopper”, the titular grasshopper, having spent all summer singing and dancing and probably getting a wee bit tipsy while the industrious ant goes about her business, comes a cropper once the weather changes. In short: your days in shorts are numbered.

So, do the groundwork ahead of autumn. And before you even have to think about raking up leaves, best get your out-of-house clothing in order first. But – and this is the part old Aesop (the Greek) left out – it is possible to get down to business while also having a bit of fun. (Perhaps Mary Poppins could be your role model here.) And besides, the average worker ant only lives, maximum, a couple of months, so is unlikely to see summer out anyway.

With that in mind, here is a selection of outer layers that will keep you warm, but also won’t kill your vibe. Take this – yes – eye-catching quilted jacket by Undercover, which continues Mr Jun Takahashi’s homage to the back catalogue of Mr Stanley Kubrick with Mr Malcolm McDowell’s mug, taken from A Clockwork Orange, plastered all over it. Or Aries’ lesser-spotted, leopard-spotted plush faux-fur hoodie. In this company, Acne Studios’ fuzzy-wuzzy purple fleece looks relatively low-key; given its oversized shape, not to mention padded insulation, it will provide the cuddle you need to get you through any forthcoming cold snap.

Finally, and almost emblematic of mixing business and pleasure, here is a bright, cheery fleece by Patagonia – and one that’s made from the environmentally minded brand’s Synchilla material, which itself is composed of recycled plastic. In fact, as much as 80 per cent of it is old bottles, which means all those fizzy drinks you knocked back while you were lounging around over summer are actually of some use after all. Well done, you.