Cream jeans are the new white jeans, these are the 7 best pairs to buy now, from £22

If you've been wondering why stylish women suddenly seem to look a little more polished this summer, I've worked out the reason. They've quietly swapped white jeans for cream.

Over this long, hot summer, this warmer, softer shade of light denim has quietly become the chic alternative to bright white jeans, and I'm seeing them everywhere. In fact, I've even stopped stylish women in the street to ask them where they bought theirs.

Cream works because it's less dazzling and, to my eye, immediately more luxurious than optic white. Better still, brands across the high street have added this shade to their collections. One thing I particularly love is that there's no single "right" pair, though at the time of writing this Marks and Spencer has the widest selection, including their bestselling mid-rise barrel style, at £30.

Cream denim works like a dream with the clothes we naturally wear at this time of year – tan leather sandals, chocolate brown belts, gold jewellery, pale blue shirts and chic white tops or white T-shirts.

Come autumn, it will be easy to simply swap in chocolate brown loafers or boots, a camel, burgundy or navy knit, and black, navy or rich brown tailoring, to your cream denim. Because of this versatility, I recommend cream jeans as the only light-coloured denim investment to make now.

If you're fashion-forward, the barrel-leg styles from Baukjen, & Other Stories and River Island (who do consistently great denim) are both fresh and modern. Prefer something more classic? Next's wide-leg jeans and Hush's flattering carrot-leg cut are chic and modern, yet familiar enough to not feel like a style leap too far.

Meanwhile, M&S's new pleated palazzo jeans are the push-the-boat-out option, and the pair to choose if you're looking to add a dash of newness to your style as we head towards autumn.

The trick is simply to select the shape you know you'll wear on repeat. Whether you're replacing tired white jeans or buying your first cream pair, these are the seven styles I'd happily invest in now—and wear for years to come.