It’s that time of year again. When the heat gets to our heads and everything starts to be related in some way to ice cream. Ice cream nail varnish, sorbet dresses and – wait for it – ice cream sandwich dressing. Yes, just when you thought you’d seen it all…

Now, the virtues of ‘ice cream sandwich dressing’ are as plain as the icy inspiration behind it and as simple as the premise of a sweet, summery sandwich. It’s a fashion formula that makes summer dressing decidedly headache-free, leaving you with more time to dedicate to the important summer stuff (read: park-bathing, sipping either prosecco or no-secco – either works – and strolling around at sunset as though you’re the main character in a Richard Curtis movie). 

The rules of ice cream sandwich dressing are as follows: the bread – or cookie – of your outfit must be the same colour or at least reside in the same tonal camp. This is important because it ties the outfit together and esures you have a thread of continuity running through it.

That’s not to say that the cookies of your outfit need be beiges or chocolatey browns; the Copenhagen style set is a huge advocate for the ice cream sandwich dressing rule. Dotted along the streets of Copenhagen Fashion Week are oranges, pinks and whites, with the fashion cognoscenti embracing their matching sandwich layers with aplomb.

Next to the cushioned layer of sweet stuff in the middle, and this is where you ought to pay attention. The middle of your sartorial ice cream sandwich is where you will either inject a pop of colour that contrasts against your co-ordinating cookies, or lean into a texture or pattern that provides something different to your top and bottom layer.

A couple of examples of ice cream sandwich dressing done well are: a white blazer and pair of trainers (your cookie layers) and a patterned blue midi dress (your ice cream layer, which contrasts the white). Another is orange sunglasses and sandals (your cookie layers), and a floral shorts two-piece (your ice cream layer). You get the idea.      

The key to ensuring that your ice cream sandwich is a sweet one, rather than a stale damp squib is to remember that your ice cream layer must contrast your cookies. If they reside in the same colour camp, it’s never going to work. So forget something beige, something white and something beige; instead, consider a beige blazer, a Barbie-inspired raspberry dress and a pair of beige sandals. 

Images: Getty; courtesy of brands