Dressing for a long summer

Summer dressing tends to be treated as a separate wardrobe, which is why so much of it goes unworn. The more useful approach is to think in terms of a small set that can be layered up in the morning and down by the afternoon.

The set

• A heavy linen dress that works with sandals and with boots
• An oversized poplin shirt, worn open over everything
• A fine merino knit for the evening, when it turns
• A wide trouser in a wool-linen blend that does not crease at the back of the knee
• A cotton tee that survives being worn three days running
• One bag that holds a book, and nothing more

The trick is the middle layer. A shirt worn open does more work than a jacket in June: it shades the arms, it holds a shape when the wind picks up, and it can be pushed to the elbow without ceremony.

Colour matters more than usual here, because bright light flattens everything. We stay in a narrow band of warm neutrals with one darker anchor, which keeps the set combinable and stops the whole thing looking washed out at noon.