Charlie Gowans- glinton The Passion hopper
A sunny city‑friendly guide to riviera style
The Cannes film festival kicks off today, and as well as the red carpet gowns, that also means a lot of celebrities trying their hand at “riviera chic”. This seems to span everything from Breton stripes to military braiding and white jeans, and nods to Jane Birkin’s basket bags and Brigitte Bardot’s (and you can see what they did here) bardot tops: the ideal summer wardrobe, particularly appealing in light of this heatwave.
But I am not in Cannes. I am in London, and my means of transport isn’t a luxury liner, but the Victoria line, rendering those gold espadrille wedges and rope-handle bags a bit much. That being said, my everyday wardrobe could do with glamming-up, and a little vicarious sunshine-dressing appeals. And I am sweltering in jeans.
What does riviera dressing look like on the Costa del Highbury? Firstly, focus on fabrics that breathe well but still look smart, and avoid anything sheer. I don’t mind creased linen on the beach, but would avoid it in the city; seersucker cotton can be just as comfortable in the heat. Raffia shoes don’t translate well to real life either, so I prefer wooden-soled sandals to espadrilles; Swedish Hasbeens have the best range. The leather uppers are quite hard to break in, but if you rub them with olive oil (or whatever’s in your kitchen cupboard, providing it’s pale in colour) they’ll soften up.
I don’t mind an actual basket bag for town use, so long as it’s structured rather than floppy. Keep all of your little bits and pieces in a canvas zippouch or make-up bag that you can tuck inside the basket, both to stop things from falling out and to avoid being pickpocketed. Try a coloured suede bucket bag as a smarter alternative to leather if your office has a stricter dress code than mine.
I love summer dresses, but separates will be more useful in the city – a silk skirt can be paired with a T-shirt, silk blouse or light knit depending on the weather. A khaki shacket (terrible word for a shirt jacket, not a medical condition) will ground everything and offset more feminine pieces. A Breton striped top may be a cliché, but I find them more flattering than a blocky white T-shirt with a bigger bust.
Belts can be very useful in smartening up more casual summer pieces, as can a good pair of sunglasses – a sharper shape or bold colour will work well. Save aviators, mirrored and pale-tinted lenses for your hols. Finally, since a weekend sunbathing on my balcony in factor 50 hasn’t taken the pallor from my skin after a long winter, I’ll be faking a little Cannes glow by adding Isle of Paradise’s self-tanning drops (£19.95, boots.com) to my moisturiser.