What to Wear on the French Riviera

A considered wardrobe for market mornings, beach lunches and evenings worth changing for.

For a summer holiday on the French Riviera, start with lightweight shirts and tops, loose trousers or shorts, a day dress if you wear dresses, swimwear, comfortable walking shoes and a light layer. Add one outfit you enjoy wearing to dinner. With a little repetition, that will take you a surprisingly long way.

The complications tend to arrive with the extras: the sandals that require a taxi, the hat that requires its own seat, the trousers that look wonderful provided you remain standing.

We would begin with the clothes you already reach for on a good summer day. Then make a few deliberate choices about fabric, footwear and what happens after the beach. There is considerable pleasure in opening a small suitcase and finding that everything in it is useful.

 

Begin with the holiday you have actually booked

A week spent swimming and eating near your hotel asks different things of your wardrobe from a week of town visits, galleries and long walks. Look at your plans before looking at anything with “Riviera” in the product description.

How much walking will you do? Will you return to your accommodation before dinner? Have you booked somewhere with a dress code? Can you wash clothes during the week?

Answer those first, then lay out the clothes that suit your plans.

Our preferred starting point is a small group of colours that work together. Navy, white and tobacco; black, cream and olive; blue with a little red. Choose a combination you already like wearing. Repeating a colour across shoes, a belt and a bag makes it easier to change the clothes around them.

Leave room for something with personality: a printed dress, a faded pink shirt, earrings you rarely wear at home. A useful wardrobe can still have a sense of occasion.

 

What to wear for walking, markets and lunch

Dress for the whole morning, including the point at which someone suggests taking the longer route.

A loose cotton dress with comfortable sandals and a small crossbody bag is a useful combination. Choose a hem you can manage on steps and enough room through the body to sit comfortably. If you prefer separates, try a cotton shirt with relaxed trousers, a skirt or tailored shorts. Keep the shirt loose, or tuck it in lightly rather than pulling everything tight around the waist.

For a simple menswear version, an ecru linen shirt, navy shorts and familiar trainers will do good work. Change the shorts for lightweight trousers when you want a more dressed appearance. A plain T-shirt is equally useful if its neckline and shape still look good after a wash.

The details matter more than another purchase. Does the bag stay comfortably on your shoulder? Can you reach your sunglasses without unpacking it? Do your trouser hems clear the ground in the shoes you are bringing?

Try the complete outfit before you leave. Walk in it. Sit in it. A holiday is a poor moment to discover that your favourite new dress objects to chairs.

 

What to wear to the beach—and to lunch afterwards

Pack swimwear you can actually swim in, then build the clothes around it.

An opaque cotton shirt dress is particularly useful: easy to put on, easy to remove and substantial enough to become a lunch outfit. A loose shirt with shorts or drawstring trousers works equally well. Check pale fabrics in daylight before relying on them for coverage.

For men, swim shorts plus a linen shirt make a straightforward beach combination. Carry dry shorts or trousers if you expect to leave the beach for lunch; sitting through a meal in wet swimwear is a rather avoidable discomfort.

Our preference is to put proper clothes over swimwear before heading into town or sitting down to eat. For a beach club, check its own requirements when booking. A poolside photograph tells you very little about what the restaurant expects.

Footwear deserves a little local attention. Consider water shoes if you plan to swim from pebble beaches such as those at Cagnes-sur-Mer. They can earn their space alongside your sandals.

A beach bag should accommodate a towel, water, sunscreen and the clothes you have just removed. Save the miniature basket for dinner.

What to wear for aperitifs and dinner

We are fond of changing for dinner. Even a small change gives the evening a beginning.

For a casual restaurant, try a cotton midi dress with flat leather sandals and earrings, or wide trousers with a neat sleeveless top. For men, a collared shirt or fine cotton polo with lightweight trousers is a useful starting point. These are outfit suggestions; the venue’s own dress code takes precedence.

You can make one pair of trousers work quite hard. Cream trousers with a blue shirt and trainers suit a day out; the same trousers with a black top, a small bag and smarter flats make an evening outfit. Navy trousers can move from a T-shirt at lunch to a fresh shirt and loafers at dinner.

If dressing up is part of the pleasure, bring the dress you have been waiting to wear, or a light jacket that sits well over your shirt. Give it an actual evening in the itinerary. Packing three formal outfits for seven informal dinners is optimism with a luggage allowance.

For a special restaurant, club or event, read the reservation details before deciding on shorts, trainers or a jacket. If a visit to the Casino de Monte-Carlo in neighbouring Monaco is planned, consult its official entry conditions. Choose clothes for the place you are entering; a destination’s glamorous reputation is an imprecise dress code.

 

Which shoes should you bring?

Begin with one pair you already trust for a full day on your feet. Trainers are a sensible choice for town walks; sandals can work if they offer the support and fit you need. Your most comfortable pair has first claim on the suitcase.

For a typical summer week, we would organise shoes by their jobs:

• Walking: familiar trainers or supportive sandals.
• Beach and pool: a pair that can cope with getting wet. Add water shoes if your chosen swimming spots call for them.
• Evening: loafers, smarter flats, sandals or a low heel, according to what you like wearing and where you have booked.

One pair may cover two jobs. You do not need to fill all three categories with a new purchase.

If you enjoy heels, bring a pair for the evening you intend to wear them. Think through the journey as well as the table: the walk from the station or car, any steps, and the way home. A lower heel with a secure strap may be the better companion.

 

The fabrics and details that earn their space

We like light cotton and linen for a summer wardrobe, especially in shapes that leave a little room around the body. Look at the whole garment: a heavy lining or a close cut can make something feel warmer than its airy appearance suggests.

A few checks are more useful than a long shopping list:

• Hold pale clothes up to the light. Decide what you will wear underneath, and try the combination together.
• Check the care label. If you intend to wash a shirt in your accommodation, make sure the fabric and washing instructions suit that plan.
• Test the fit while seated. Waistbands, buttons and armholes should remain comfortable through lunch.
• Check each piece against the rest of the suitcase. A top that works with two or three bottoms is particularly welcome.

Linen will crease. Allow for that when choosing it; immaculate pressing is a demanding hobby to take on holiday.

White and navy are useful, though there is no need to abandon black if it is the colour you love. A loose black dress can make an excellent evening option. Nor must every outfit involve stripes. Wear the striped shirt because you like the striped shirt.

For accessories, start with a hat that stays comfortably on your head, sunglasses you enjoy wearing and a bag appropriate to the day. Add a scarf or jewellery if it brings you pleasure.

 

What to wear in spring, summer, autumn and winter

The summer wardrobe above needs adjusting for the season. Météo-France describes the Mediterranean climate as having hot summers and mild winters, with significant rain possible in spring and autumn. “Mild” is a comparison, not a promise that you will want bare ankles at dinner. Météo-France: climate in mainland France and Corsica.

Spring: Build around trousers or jeans, shirts, light knitwear and a jacket. Bring closed shoes and a rain layer. Add lighter clothes according to the forecast; do not give your entire suitcase to the summer you hope has arrived.

Summer: Give most of the space to light separates, dresses if you wear them, and swimwear. Include a light cardigan, overshirt or wrap for moments when you want an extra layer. Choose what you can comfortably carry during the day.

Autumn: Keep a few warm-weather pieces if the forecast supports them, but make room for long trousers, knitwear and rain protection. A September packing list and a November packing list should be prepared separately.

Winter: Plan a coastal city wardrobe: trousers, knitwear, closed shoes or boots, and a coat suited to the forecast. Add a scarf if you feel the cold.

Check the weather for your actual destination shortly before departure, including evening temperatures and rain. For Nice, the Met Office forecast is a useful starting point. If your plans include hikes or trips into the mountains, pack for those conditions separately.

 

A compact packing list for one summer week

This is a starting point for a week with some repeat wear and one laundry wash. Count the clothes you travel in as part of the wardrobe.

Build your dinner outfit from this list where possible. Add anything a particular booking requires, and adjust for the forecast. If you will not be doing laundry, bring enough fresh tops and underwear for the way you travel.

Before closing the suitcase, lay out a walking outfit, a beach-to-lunch outfit and a dinner outfit, complete with shoes. Look for the missing piece. Then look for the pieces you have packed three versions of.

 

What is worth buying before you go?

Buy for the gap that would make the holiday less comfortable: shoes you can walk in, an opaque cover-up, trousers that fit properly, a light layer that works with the rest.

Try shoes with enough time to wear them before departure. Consider shortening a hem or repairing a favourite shirt before replacing it. A small alteration can make a familiar piece far more useful than something new bought in a hurry.

Keep the beautifully impractical purchase if you love it and know when you will wear it. Pleasure is allowed a place in the suitcase. It simply need not occupy every compartment.

Once you have dressed, go out. Find a table, take the longer walk, stay for dinner if the evening suggests it. The clothes have done their work when you can forget about them.