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We all have one. That bag of “vacation” clothes that you keep under your bed during the summer you’ll spend frolicking on the beach in Mykonos… someday.
But by 2024, if your holiday destination is more Lake District than Lake Como, more Suffolk than St Tropez, that luggage full of ridiculously bright sarongs won’t be of much use to you. The British Isles’ volatile weather forecast and Ab Fab-style kaftans are not the best of friends.
Still craving the thrill of “vacation wear”? Discover our guide on how to pack smartly for your staycation with mix-and-match pieces that will ensure you look your best, come rain or shine. A hot chocolate bar and a bag of fish and chips are optional, but recommended.
Fisherman chic
Cream turtleneck jumper, £195, moloh.com
Striped top, £295, navygrey.com
First things first: the most important tip for packing smartly for a staycation is to stick to a colour theme so you can mix and match items with ease. A nautical vibe feels appropriate to the British Isles, so think blue, cream and camel, perhaps with a splash of red thrown in here and there. Few things will work better in your staycation wardrobe than a jumper that follows this colour theme. Throw it on after a dip in the freezing sea, for al fresco dining in the evenings, for a windy bike ride – the list goes on. A traditional Aran fisherman-style jumper in cream feels right at home on the British coast, as does a nautical striped jumper. It’s no surprise that traditional British brands are the best at making fisherman knits – Cording’s submarine-style turtleneck jumper is for men, but that only adds to its comfort (£195, cordings.co.uk). Moloh’s is equally lovely and comes in navy and camel, plus cream (£195, moloh.com), while Peregrine’s is on sale for £66 (peregrineclothing.co.uk).
The retro midi skirt
Striped skirt, £150, wyse london.com
Left: Skirt, £35.99, reserved.com. Right: Swimsuit, £195, paper london.com
The star item of clothing for British staycations isn’t what you’d expect. It’s the cotton midi skirt, in plain white or with blue or red stripes, ideally. If denim shorts seem too Balinese (and also too likely to give you hypothermia), a cotton midi skirt (not tight at all, this is a structured, full-skirted style) adds a retro nod that’s perfectly suited to British staycations – think Kiera Knightley in The Edge of Love, set on the Welsh coast in the 1940s. Reserved has the perfect white option (£35.99, reserved.com), while Wyse has a red and white striped version (£150, wyselondon.com). The also-retro Aran knit works well over the cotton midi, as does a swimsuit for warmer days. Paper London’s ‘Wanderlust’ swimsuit (£175, paperlondon.com) is very 1940s glam. By day, white plimsoll trainers (I told you we were going for retro) look great peeking out from under the hem. When it’s raining, cherry red or even yellow Hunters look lovely too.
Recover the jelly shoe
£84, lavestelaveste.com
£26, newlook.com
British beaches may be pebbly, British country towns may be cobbled, so comfortable footwear is recommended. This summer, the fashion crowd is bringing back the 90s jelly shoe, and believe it or not, this style couldn’t be more appropriate for the British Isles. Hose them down after a muddy hike, wear them in the sea when the seabed is made up more of lethal rocks than starfish. Don’t worry, these are a high-end jelly shoe, not the monstrous neon trainers you wore thirty years ago. New York fashion favourite Loeffler Randall offers a champagne-hued jelly style with glitter flecks (£x, loefflerrandall.com), while Franco-Spanish fashion icon Maria de la Orden (arguably the most stylish woman on the planet) has been wearing her label La Veste’s jelly shoes all summer (£84, lavestelaveste.com). Ancient Greek Sandals does a more grown-up jelly style based on ballerinas (£85, ancient-greek-sandals.com). Not sure? New Look offers a cheerful scarlet pair for just £26 (newlook.com).
Just like the rain
Holkham jacket, £69.95, joules.com
£79, es.rains.com
Name a more British thrill than pulling a chic, packable raincoat out of your bag when the heavens open up. The key to making something so practical stylish? Look out for luxurious details like grosgrain bows and tortoiseshell buttons. These will take the look away from hiker territory without compromising practicality. Joules’ Holkham raincoat (£69.95, joules.com) is just the ticket: it packs into its own pocket (hidden at the back), has a mesh lining for breathability, an adjustable waist, luxurious gold-tone hardwearing material (crucially, not too shiny) and comes in several chic, vintage-inspired prints. Elsewhere, Danish brand Rains makes minimalist raincoats in chic shades of taupe and stone that look double their £79 price tag (rains.com). On that note, avoid yellow – it can’t help but telegraph Captain Birdseye.
The devil is in the details
Hat, £35, stories.com
Left: bag, £35, sisterjane.com. Right: pendant, £140, sorujewellery.com
The right accessories will make your already versatile staycation wardrobe ready for anything. A wide-brimmed cotton hat (a wide-brimmed hat takes it away from “bucket hat worn by teenage ravers” territory) protects from both sun and rain. That white cotton midi you’ve been wearing all day at the beach? Just add some statement gold jewelry and red ballet flats and you’re ready for dinner. (The same can’t be said for denim shorts.) By day, a crossbody bag gives you the hands-free practicality needed for biking and the like, while a giant raffia tote is the perfect vessel to carry it all on beach trips. Swap them out for something more frivolous for evening—a sequin clutch or Polly Pocket-sized mini bag next to an Aran knit sweater look incongruously cool.
Touch a string
Left: £90 boden.co.uk. Right: £226 hortensestudio.com
Nettles, midges, brambles – in other words, leave the shorts at home. A British Isles-friendly alternative? The autumn/winter 2024 catwalks brought back grandpa-favourite corduroy as the fashion fabric du jour, making a pair of corduroy trousers a smart buy that you’ll wear well into winter – and won’t cling to you like jeans do when it rains. Boden has just launched a pair in a gorgeous Caramac caramel shade and a wonderfully tactile giant drawstring. The front pockets are similarly large (who needs a handbag?). They show off a flattering ankle cut with trainers, but look just as good tucked into wellies, Land Girl style (£90, boden.co.uk).
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