I’m going to let you in on a little secret. For most of my life I went away on holidays around the British seaside fully expecting it to be sunny. Packing accordingly: linen shirts, light cotton trousers, delicate leather sandals that disintegrate if they sniff saltwater once.
I would picture myself wandering romantically around some palm-fringed promenade, ice cream in hand, my skin slowly tanning to that golden brown that only comes from gentle year-round sunlight. ! ! But let me be blunt: every single time this has NOT been the outcome. Instead I would spend my time huddled behind some soggy windbreak on a Cornish beach, awkwardly pulling an oversized charity shop jumper over my obviously tan deprived resort casual as gusts of wind rubbed handfuls of sand up my nose.
My girlfriend took a semi-dark-hearted photo of me on a rainy day in Whitstable last summer holidays: slouching against the wind as I ate a takeaway tea with blue fingertips whilst my hair had obviously been art-directed by Fred Falke. “For your style blog” she laughed in delight as she clicked away, knowing full well she’d provoked extreme pain levels. Now unless you’re completely mad you’ll accept that our weather will never play ball when we’ve booked holiday time around the British coast.
You see those 25 degree heat waves come through for your week in Devon?
You can pretty much set your watch by it arriving at around 2pm on Wednesday for about 37 minutes, whilst you’re standing dripping wet inside a tacky gift shop because someone needed the toilet. Apart from that, you’ll pretty much get British Summer time: 16 degrees and windy with an ever-so-slight chance of rain lingering out to sea. So how do you gracefully dress for this unreliability and not just wear hiking gear every day?
Don’t worry, I spent many years getting it very wrong before finally sorting out a formula to stay comfortable (and kind of look like you made an effort) whilst at the British seaside. As discussed earlier – the key to dressing for British summertime is layers. Forget woolly jumpers and coats we’re going lightweight; layers that you can stuff into a dry bag when not required, that dry quickly, and can deal with the rapidly changing temperatures that quite often vary by 10 degrees in a day.
First up is a good lightweight merino jumper. Woollies rock for staying warm when wet (should you get caught out by sea water) don’t smell if you wear them loads in a row (great if you’re staying somewhere with limited wardrobe space like a B&B), and look more stylish than your average jumper once you’ve ceremoniously put it on and taken it off 15 times throughout the day. Uniqlo do some great merino wool knitwear for around £30-40 and are seriously overperforming for their price.
John Smedley is the Rolls Royce of merino wool but their offerings start at £175 and frankly if you’re rocking up wearing that to the seaside it might not be worth it. The British seaside can ruin any garment after a few months so you might as well go Cheapfly. Under this, forget t-shirts.
White t-shirts attract drips. Go with something Breton if you must, as the nautical theme fits with the setting you find yourself in landlocked (trivial fact: there is no ocean in Great Britain. We HAVE THE CHANNEL FFS).
Breton shirts originated from navy sailors, as shirt styles have meanings. Paul Smith does great shirts but everywhere sells them now. M&S do a half-decent options as does Arket.
As for trousers; you’ll be hard pushed to get away with the linen slacks you had hopes of packing. Trust me on this. You need something durable enough to sit on wet sea walls, sweatproof in case you get knocked over by a wave, comfortable enough to spend the weird amounts of times strolling around quaint seaside towns British holidays require, but also smart enough to eat your 9pm “we couldn’t get a table till then, dear” restaurant meal in.
Invest in some good quality chinos. Go for a slightly heavier weight than you normally would; around 8-10oz with a little stretch. You want something thick enough to block wind but not so heavy it takes weeks to dry if dumped in a spin dryer.
Dickies are great for this and they just about skirt away from being actual work wear but are still smart enough to wear for 99% of restaurants you’ll find yourself eating at. !… Now for shoes; where most Brits tend to ruin their outfit. Seeing as you’ve optimistically assumed it’ll be sunny all week there’s a strong desire to pack flip-flops, or leather sandals which will surely MAKE IT BLOODY SUNNY IF YOU JUST WAIST THEM AWAY.
Negative guys, negative. Instead reach for the deck shoe. Not the polished, gleaming number that pub attendees wear to Henley Regatta, but a good worn down pair that’s seen some action; able to jump in a rock pool when the chance arises but won’t look like a laughable mismatch eating your chips by the sea.
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Sebago and Sperry make the originals here (around £100) but M&S do a perfectly acceptable version for about half of that. Desert boots are also your friend when the weather’s not overly warm. The crepe sole will deal better with damp paviours and sandy promenades than leather-soled alternatives, plus the ankle height will keep grunge out should you wander down any beaches.
Clark’s Originals make the best desert boots currently around (a cool £120) but if you’ve got a little extra to splash spend on the Astorflex which are ever-so-slightly smarter. Above all though, get yourself a decent jacket. It makes or breaks your seaside outfit.
You need something windproof (NOT wind resistant. Trust me, you’ll know the difference when you’re stood on a beach in Norfolk thinking “bugger”), pretty waterproof, breathable enough so you don’t feel like you’re wearing a raincloud during our intermittent spells of sunshine and finally, it can’t look like you’re about to go kayaking. Lots of sailing inspired jackets fit the bill perfectly here and won’t have you looking like a haha yachting try-hard either.
Brands such as Henri Lloyd, Musto and even GANT do jackets that are specifically made to be worn at the seaside but won’t advertise it from 50 yards away. They’re cut longer in the back to protect your butt as you perch on sea walls, utilise good quality zips that won’t rust at the hint of sea salt and usually have other useful little features like fleece lined pockets; for when your hands have spent too long holding that rapidly cooling disposable coffee. Mine has weathered many seaside adventures and looks intentionally chic rather than “trying not to freeze to death” when worn over most things.
Henries do start at around £150-200 so they’re not cheap, but when you factor in the usage across multiple British seaside holidays they work out decent. If you’re looking for something cheaper French brand Armour- Lux do some great fisherman inspired jackets that will stand up to similar abuses. Ok, so a few accessories to round things off.
Despite how warm it can get in the summer a lightweight scarf is an amazing tool for when the wind inevitably picks up. Go for something cotton/modal blend as opposed to wool so you can wear them year round. A hat is an absolute must as well.
Again, not just for when the sun makes an appearance but as a great defence against the British seaside wind attempting to blow every item of hair product you’ve painfully slaved over back out of your hair. Baseball hats will fly off but Flat caps will have you looking like you’re pretending to be a country gent. Something adjustable like a bucket hat (they are seriously back in style FYI) or an cotton fisherman’s hat with toggle adjusters is ideal.
You’ll also need sunglasses all year around; more for wind and not-so-gentle exfoliation of your eye balls by the sand not always sun. Get a pair with a good snug fit rather than the fashion-forward thin metal frames that will likely autumn off at the drop of a hat. Literally.
Wear a good tote bag too; waterproof if you can, with a zip so the wind doesn’t decide to do an inventory of your belongings half way along the promenade. Something that can fit layers if it warms up but won’t kill your back when full should you be walking any distance. Canvas is traditional but there are loads of technical options available now that’ll also deal with any damp weather thrown your way.
Now I know what you’re thinking; “what if it actually is sunny???”.
Of course wear appropriate summer clothing if it is (miracles do happen, I’ve seen it), just make sure your layering options are readily available. It baffles me how often the temperature will drop 10 degrees as soon as you’ve decided to fully commit to that summer outfit.
Ask me how I know. July 2018; took my girlfriend to Margate for the weekend. It was 26 degrees when we arrived.
We went for a ice cream and by the time ate said ice cream it was 14 degrees. In July. Despite all this I’ve actually learnt to kind of love dressing for holidays in the British seaside.
Once you accept that you WILL not be rocking up in Trinidad every year you can start to appreciate the uniqueness of packing for somewhere that needs a completely different wardrobe to the Mediterranean. I love now chucking together a combo that can withstand a blustery day in August Whitby and not have to revert to hiking gear, or completely concede defeat and buy one of those novelty fisherman rain jackets from a gift shop. Trust me, it’s much more stylish to just grin and bare the elements wearing a proper jacket as you scoff your ice cream.
