A swimsuit that screams “wild swimming”? Check! Stripy boxers as short as Paul Mescal’s? Check? A raffia beach bag that can be seen from space? Check. Your wardrobe is sitting directly above the summer 2024 cliché zone. These are the Insta hits you can expect to see on the beach this summer. And if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
• This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue
XXL raffia
The Jacquemus straw hat that almost broke the internet when it landed in 2018 is back in bag form. A supersized raffia tote — big enough to hold a Stanley cup, a ring flash and the required Rhode lip gloss — is social currency. These hot bags (favourites include Loewe, Celine and Victoria Beckham’s Mango collab) should be worn with everything from a trouser suit to a tiny bikini.
Above, clockwise from left
• Oversize tote, £79, mintvelvet.com
• Victoria Beckham bag, £170, mango.com
• Straw tote, £85, stories.com
• Woven bag, £262, mamoriginals.com
• Jute tote, £88, freepeople.com
Advertisement
Fielding hats
Cricket players make for unlikely style icons, or so we thought until the hat of 2024 presented itself. One part sou’wester, another “Ben Stokes patrolling the outfield at Lord’s” — Ganni’s leopard-print version is a hit on the socials, although you may find what you need in the local Decathlon.
Above, from top
• Print hat, £145, ganni.com
• Black hat, £65, hunzag.com
• Frayed hat, £125, jacquemus.com
• Logo hat, £182, JW Anderson, ssense.com
Cold-toe sandals
These uncomfortable-looking shoes — which you can’t seem to move for in fashion circles at the moment — take their lead from the farmers’ markets of the Mediterranean; you’d most likely pick up a pair along with an overpriced throw and a dodgy bar of soap. Wear with slouchy trousers to conjure memories of forgotten gap years.
Above, from top
Advertisement
• Leather sandals, £265, toa.st
• Flat sandals with metallic embellishment, £100, massimodutti.com
• Brown sandals, £276, Dries Van Noten, net-a-porter.com
• Link sandals, £860, therow.com
Beach boxers
Blame our collective determination to have extreme comfort at all costs, but there’s no escaping the boy boxer as a summer essential. The influencers’ favourite is baggy and stripy (blue is ideal). For the ultimate sartorial cliché, team with an oversized shirt worn unbuttoned up to the waist. A summer uniform is born.
Above, clockwise from top left
• Pink stripy boxers, £60, withnothingunderneath.com
• Boxers, £62 each, commesi.com
• Boxer-style shorts, £13, hm.com
• Stripy seersucker boxers, £55, Polo Ralph Lauren, ralphlauren.co.uk
Wild swimsuits
A one-piece that says “did I mention I like wild swimming?” is sartorial catnip where the internet is concerned, with brands that offer rash guards along with their bikinis very much in demand. Think less about what your suit of choice does for your leg length and more about what it does for your stroke speed and you’ll make a big splash, both online and in the local lido.
Advertisement
Above, from left
• Surf suit, £328, Abysse, freepeople.com
• Red one-piece, £200, abysseofficial.com
• Sleeveless wetsuit, £346, Cynthia Rowley, wolfandbadger.com
Vintage surf tees
Chances are that the influencers sporting oversized vintage surf-shack T-shirts aren’t old enough to remember thinking that Fat Willy’s in Newquay was the epicentre of the universe, or at least believing its merch to be the coolest on the planet. Fast-forward 30 years and it’s Vinted that’s winning the youth vote with oversized T-shirts like those Brad from Neighbours would wear. So far, so gnarly — unless you bought yours from Asos.
Above, from left
• T-shirt, £41, surf.inc
• Long-sleeve T-shirt, £35, passenger-clothing.com
• T-shirt, £28, rapanuiclothing.com
Advertisement
Status towels
With copycats of Soho House’s iconic stripes now ten-a-penny, the new beach flex is a towel that costs almost as much as a set of easyJet flights for the whole family. Favourites include Casablanca’s gradient-effect towel (a cool £270!) and Bottega Veneta’s heavily logoed version, which, at £410, will put a sizeable dent in the ice-cream budget.
Above, from left
• Banana towel, £410, bottegaveneta.com
• Graphic-print towel, £270, casablancaparis.com
• Logo towel, £450, loewe.com
• Swan towel, £490, burberry.com
