Ditch the Breton: Why a striped shirt is the one fashion piece you need this summer

If you only tap into one trend this summer, may we suggest the pinstripe shirt? Ideal for a soupçon of corporate polish, even better crumpled up a bit and worn open with a vest or over your cossie on the beach. It’s the perfect multi-tasker — think of it as your summer season executive assistant.

For those with an eye on a craftier take, do get to know one of our favourite burgeoning brands, the appropriately monikered Souvenir Stand, founded by Nataša Čagalj, previously the much-loved creative director of Ports 1961. The sustainably-eyed collection is produced from dead-stock and upcycled pieces and made in London. Her new crop of striped shirts come with whimsical doilies as deliciously elevating details. Ideal for anywhere you end up going this summer – you might also fancy coordinating with one of the jaunty striped beach bags too, frankly in our book, you can never have too many stripes.

For those wanting total city-inspired immersion, you might like to double dip with a short and shirt set – these are everywhere. Hunza G has brought out its first apparel iteration in a pretty, soft blue. Me+Em has a bolder style in cornflower azure (£95; meandem.com — try it over the brand’s rather good first-ever swim collection, too).

M&S has a great soft brown and white take in its Autograph range – mark July in your diaries for its updated black and white linen version, too. While for an all time striped-shirt crush, you can’t beat Yaitte, which has a delicious version in coral and blue for those keen to invert a classic.