What to wear for a summer staycation
‘ There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing,’ fell-walking expert Alfred Wainwright’s quote is often cited but hard to beat. This kind of stoic attitude is what’s needed for a holiday on home turf. And it encapsulates how we’ll be dressing in the summer of 2021, perfectly. Cornish brand Seasalt asked for my edit of their lovely daywear collection, to cover every possible outcome: sudden downpour across Polperro Harbour? Not a problem. Heatwave in Hastings? Piece of cake. Eye-watering breeze on Bamburgh Beach? They’ve got your back.
Being born and bred in Blackpool, a thorough appreciation of the benefits of a waterproof raincoat runs through me like letters through a stick of rock. Whatever the season, the lightweight Dry Point, parka-style (top photo) rolls up neatly into a tote bag and – should the heavens open – it can be layered over a jacket or jumper.
The Sailor Dress and Artist’s Studio Hat
Nothing says ‘summer at the seaside’ more than sailor stripes (even if you are spending most of the time in South London).
The Sailor Top and jumpsuit
These are just a couple of my favourite outfits and you can shop Seasalt HERE. And read the full feature HERE.
STYLE NOTES
I’m wearing the Sailor top with the Tencreek jumpsuit and carrying the canvas tote bag.
The organic cotton Sailor dress with the Artist’s Studio hat.
The Dry Point Coat, over the Peaceful Cove linen jacket and the Poisson top, with Fig Tree Rocks trousers, Wood Engraving clog sandals and Idless canvas bag.
Discussion (13 Comments)
Evelyn says:
Alyson- as ever, you look great!! I love Seasalt! Their waterproof coats are brilliant and I can’t see past a Breton top. I really fancied the Fig Tree Rocks trousers- sent for them online but I looked terrible in them. Really wanted them to work , which they do on you,- so well! I continue my quest for flattering white/ off-white trousers!! Otherwise, the Land & Sea Top in dark tomato is a cracker( I bought 2!)
Evelyn xThanks Evelyn, I am hanging onto the Dry Point Coat. I went up a size with the trousers – if that helps?!
Fran says:
Hello Evelyn
Cos have a varied selection of trousers including white/off white at the moment. Recommend subscribing to them enabling earlier notification of sale items.
Sarah Pemberton says:
That weather quote has always annoyed me. I lived in Canada for 10 years. People in Northern Ontario and Quebec know perfectly well that there is bad weather – it can be below -40C and whiteout! In weather like that they cancel school and almost nobody goes outside. Similarly no sensible person goes out in a hurricane or tornado. Serious bad weather is less common in the UK, but it does happen and the emergency services have to intervene when people get into trouble in bad conditions. The skill is to identify which ‘bad weather’ is merely unpleasant and which is dangerous. On which note, sunny days can also be dangerous if it gets hot enough (e.g. parts of Canada at 46C recently).
Julie Seddon says:
I have very happy memories of Blackpool holidays. We went every Wakes Week from our home in Bury, 47 miles away. From the 1960s onwards, four of us packed into a Ford Anglia (replaced by a Vauxhall Viva in the 70s) to take gran and grandad for a week with her sister who lived there while we stayed in a boarding house. It took all day as there were no motorways and when there were motorways, Gran refused to be drive on one. Pictures from that era show everyone wearing their best holiday clothes and me in a swimsuit and cardy building sandcastles on the beach. It’s the memories of “holiday best” that means I like to wear nice clothes on holidays and Seasalt tops and dresses remind me of those days and fit the bill very well! You would certainly look good on the Prom, Alison!
What a lovely comment, thanks Julie. I saw a fantastic photo online the other day (from the People’s Archive) of someone’s grandad on Blackpool beach in 1961, sitting in a deckchair smartly dressed in his blazer, cardigan, shirt, slacks, shoes and socks.
Hadilly says:
Dear Alyson,
I discovered Seasalt Cornwall through you! Their dresses are just fantastic, so well cut and made of great materials. Besides Patagonia, I haven’t found other brands that offer so much clothing that works well. I bought several of their linen trousers and crops this summer. I don’t love all their prints and color palettes all the time, but find more than enough to buy. Their price to quality ratio is superb.
I live in the states and deeply envy those of you with their shops locally.
bev says:
I also love a few Seasalt items – especially their lovely Breton tops and they had the fabbest fisherman’s sandals in this summer – woe is me – I missed them in my big size 7s! Their Penpoll shoes are totally gorgeous. Another lovely brand – although more ‘spendy’ is Finisterre. They have a shop in Covent Garden and they have some delicious boiler suits, sweatshirts and linen shirts.
Nicola says:
Does anyone else find Seasalts sizing odd? Their raincoats are the best ever for water resistance ( and I live in a monsoonal climate so have tested them well) but we have 4 hanging on our pegs ranging from size 10 to an 18 and I can wear all of them. I’m usually a size 14. I picked up the size 18 in a shop in Devon and I couldn’t have gone smaller and got a sweater underneath. I love the look of the clothes but won’t dare order anything online until they get a cheap return service for overseas customers the way M&S and Boden do. Sigh….
Mrs Tonia says:
After reading this post and comments I had a look at their website. A lot on sale right now. Well priced useful garments.
Though lying here with a fan pointing at me the idea of layered clothing and raincoats seems quaint. Though we may be wearing these things rather than sundresses soon.Margaret Nelson says:
Worn Seasalt clothing for years, I love that their shops are full of folk of all ages and you always feel welcome. Perfect casual (and smart) clothes to cheer us up at the moment – just bought myself a lovely red dress ( not my normal colour) for a friend’s wedding anniversary do, now we need some hot weather!
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Don’t you just love Seasalt? Am I remembering correctly that the present owners walked into the store one day and liked the clothes there so much that they bought the business?
As for Blackpool and its weather, don’t go there! Ah, I don’t mean literally, but having friends living in Fylde for many years still gives me the shivers when I think back to the times we all trudged through the bone-chilling cold and rain because, ‘”If we didn’t, we’d never go out!'” Happy days!