How to ace beach holiday style
Every year, the packing list remains the same. Swimwear. A hat. A cover-up of some variety for sun protection and meandering to the ice-cream shop. A beach towel for staking your claim on a prime-location lounger. A tote roomy enough to carry it all, along with a water flask and a paperback book.
Often these things are accumulated over the years – the flip-flops you bought in a resort boutique after your old ones broke mid-holiday, or the towel left behind by a long-forgotten house guest – but together, they form part of the fabric of holiday nostalgia, as familiar and evocative as the scent of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen.
If you are in the business of replacing one of these ingredients, invest in the best quality you can afford. It can feel wasteful to splash out on swimwear that you’ll only wear for a couple of weeks a year, but I was once told never to skimp on something that reveals so much of your body, and have remained faithful to that. A supportive fit and fabrics that don’t go sheer or pinch are worth every penny. It will go the distance too, when you reach for it next summer, and the summer after that.
This advice applies to men too, who are even more likely to wear swimwear until it falls apart. I’ve seen cheap trunks leak dye on contact with water, and you don’t need me to tell you that’s not a good look. You want a cut that suits your proportions, a colour that suits your skin tone, and a fit with a little flexibility for when you’ve overindulged at the hotel breakfast buffet – unlike the glamorous types in this Pearl Beer ad from the 1960s.
A style lesson we could learn from that swinging decade? How a slick of red lipstick looks as good on the beach as it does after dark. Better, even. Who knew?
Try these...
Hidden support with interchangeable straps swimsuit, £75, Boden; Adjustable strap top, £120 and high waisted bottoms, £90, Form & Fold; Two toned one piece, £270, Evarae
Linen kaftan, £245, Arkitaip; Ecovero viscose sarong, £69, Away That Day
Cupro, £144, Portuguese Flannel; Towelling shorts, £39, Cos
Quick drying shorts, £70, OAS; Recycled polyester shorts, £165, Frescobal Carioca
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