Four holiday must-haves every woman needs to pack
TO Be clear, I like ankle-grazing midis and rope - s o l e d sandals as much as anyone. usually by this time of year, I’ve acquired something slathered with mexican embroidery, a silk top printed with starfish and I’m rooting out my mules with the pom-pom trim, because that’s half the fun of a holiday.
That said, I have just returned from a break in Turkey and never once did I wear the starfish top or the mules or much besides a handful of things I always wear.
It’s only with hindsight you recognise what actually works. so forget the holiday trends for now — these are the items that will make your holiday so much easier.
1. A KAFTAN
I’m not talking about a fancy one to wear to lunch at Le Club 55 in st Tropez, but one you can wear everywhere, from around the pool to sightseeing.
Fitted bodices, sashes and silk ruffles all look charming in pictures, but when it’s 33 in the shade, you’re no more in the mood for all that than you are for a sunday roast.
What you want is simple — covered up ( long sleeves, mid- calf hem), lightweight and breathable.
This could be a long-line popover striped shirt such as the one at & Other stories (£65, stories.com) or a linenmix kaftan with a knot-front tie. Jigsaw’s one is just above the knee — too short for me in the heat, but fine for some (£69, jigsaw.online).
Zara does an elegant midi shirt- dress in white cotton with black embroidery (£49.99) We did say no to extras, but they are minimal here and the whole effect is light and cool.
If you want to push the boat out, there’s a fine linen kaftan with an open-weave crochet detail down the front on sale on net-a-porter (now £206.08,
net-a-porter.com), which you could easily wear out in the evening. Or British resortwear brand Wiggy Kit does a maxi drawstring cotton strip dress (£295, wiggykit.com). It’s ankle-grazing and roomy, but also very pretty.
2. A RASH VEST
YOu know how we look back occasionally to the days when people smoked on aeroplanes and can’t believe it wasn’t stopped decades before.
Well, soon we’ll be wondering how it took so long to get into rash vests, those protective long- sleeved tops that keep off the sun’s rays while somehow also keeping you cool and making you look surfer-girl fit. Take your pick from any surf brand, but also JCrew do rash guards in classic stripes (£84,
jcrew.com), and Boden does cute rash vests, including twotone stripes and a navy style with a half zip that’s just the right side of Bond Girl cool (above, £45, boden.co.uk).
3. THE RIGHT HAT
BasICaLLY if you’re in the city, you need a neat Panama style. If not, something more relaxed and broader-brimmed.
If you want a hat you can wear to the beach and out for cocktails, go for something in the middle with a black band and fedora proportions.
some of the better options include marks & spencer’s classic straw fedora (£ 15,
marksandspencer.com); John Lewis’s packable weave-mix hat (down to £13, johnlewis.
com) and the slightly fancier Reiss star weave Panama hat (£95, reiss.com).
4. EASY SHOES
YeaRs back, some of us made an effort to resist the lure of FitFlops, just because there are prettier shoes out there. But there is simply no more comfortable, all- occasionsappropriate holiday footwear.
Don’t be distracted by new trends — the classic toe-thong FitFlop is the one that will see you over pebbles, tiles and cliff paths (£46, fitflop.com).
Birkenstocks were out in the wilderness for a bit, but they’re back, specifically the two-strap arizona style (£35, birkenstock.
com). almost as comfy as FitFlops, Birkenstocks have the fashion edge, with Valentino collaborating with the brand. In a metallic finish, they’re ideal for evening.
Then all you need is a pair of Havaiana flip flops — Havaianas because for the extra cost you get twice as much style, comfort and longevity (£24, havaianas-store.com).
That’s everything you need sorted — now all you have to do is add fluff.