COASTING ALONG IN STYLE
I RECENTLY had the pleasure of escaping to Devon. The south-west coast of England is so beautiful it gives me comfort to think that, should all air bridges be removed and we wind up restricted to domestic UK travel, things aren’t so bad, especially if the sun has got its hat on.
It’s little wonder Devon came top of a quality of life survey in 2019. The miles of stunning coastline are a honey-trap to surfers and boogie boarders alike, every other car is fitted with a roof rack kitted out with bikes and other outdoor pursuits equipment.
I’ve returned wanting to be more outdoorsy and I’m considering adopting a surf name.
While on holiday I couldn’t help but notice some distinct differences that make city folk like myself stick out like a sore thumb in a more rural or seaside setting.
With the best will in the world, we just don’t look authentic when trying to blend in with the locals.
The most carefully planned holiday wardrobes are the easiest to identify, carefully selected branded rucksacks from Eastpac and Fjallraven, box-fresh trainers, anything black (the only black thing coastal dwellers wear is a wetsuit) and fancy sunglasses are a dead giveaway too.
I speak from recent experience. By my reckoning city folk fail at dressing for coastal living by putting aesthetics before practicality, the locals washed-out, weatherworn and carefree attitude to dressing out-cools our “cultivated for the occasion” cool by making us look a little bit stiff and over-rehearsed. Dressing like a surfer isn’t as simple as just sporting a RipCurl or Billabong T-shirt in 2020, surf brands have a hierarchy like any other.
Vans and outdoor brand Patagonia are main stays, while the likes of RVCA, Saturdays NYC and Vissla are surf-influenced brands who do great everyday casualwear that looks great on holiday even if you’ve never caught a wave in your life.