Stretch yourself with jersey

"We've had our biggest season to date on jersey," says Sarah-Jayne Browne, jersey buyer at ASOS. "We've particularly had some fantastic sales on embellished and trimmed jersey styles, as well as a great reaction to cardies and cover-ups." Though exact figures can't be released, unofficial feedback suggests that sales at Topshop, Oasis and H&M are phenomenal, too.

By jersey, we don't mean the woolly kind you wear in winter. This jersey is the blanket name the fashion industry gives to all the stretch-cotton mixes — spandex, Lycra, whatever — that have become the fabric of choice this summer. Why has jersey overtaken our wardrobes so completely? Two words: American Apparel. The LA-based megachain undoubtedly kick-started the jersey revolution, offering little else for sale in its seven London stores. So compelling were the rainbow-coloured windows with their one-in-every-colour selection of catsuits, shorts and tube dresses that Londoners were soon hooked. I doubt I know anyone under 30 who doesn't own an AA miniskirt with an elasticated waist and two square pockets on the front.

Gallery: see more outfits made from jersey

Despite being old enough to know better, I bought an American Apparel tube dress in fuchsia, which I've worn in public only once but love prancing round the house in pretending to be Coco from Fame. It's this essential shape — short, tight, scoop-fronted — that has been most copied by the high street, in myriad prints like cabbage rose and classic stripe.

Understandably, the high street has always been big on jersey: as a fabric, it is cheap to produce and versatile, thus fitting with the "cheap 'n' cheerful" chain-store ethos. But designers are increasingly getting in on the act, too. Keener than usual, in a recession, to include lower price points, many are adding less expensive jersey items to their collections.

Christopher Kane's gorilla dresses are a case in point: still expensive, at £600, but a third of the price of his main line. Some designers even put out dedicated, jersey-focused collections: Balenciaga Knits uses catwalk prints on jersey and knitted items (prices start at £150), while Lanvin's Rue de Faubourg offers simple jersey dresses in the classic Lanvin style. Prices start at £300, compared to the £1,500-plus of a silk dress.

"There is definitely an increase in basic jersey offerings from designers this season," says Joanna Jeffreys, press manager for Harvey Nichols. "It's a way of targeting the younger end of the market and providing a cheaper entry level into the brand. It's a great way to dip your toe in the water. But jersey pieces also appeal to older customers who might love a designer but can't afford the more expensive items."

Hang on, I hear you cry. But I am 52, with thighs. What can jersey offer me? Fair point. But while the bulk of this season's jersey is undoubtedly clingy (leggings, minis and "body-con" tank dresses), there are looser items, too. A jersey cardigan is a great British summer cover-up, lighter as it is than wool, while drapier jersey pieces like cowl-necked dresses or drawstring trousers can serve the non-body-beautiful very well.