With Memorial Day Weekend behind us and the longest day of the year now less than three weeks away, it’s safe to say that summer has finally arrived. It’s the season when we wear the fewest clothes, but paradoxically have the greatest choice when it comes to style. Indeed, there’s a near endless selection of bold patterns, vibrant colours and playful prints encouraging an experimental approach to getting dressed. In need of inspiration? Look no further: our summer style guide is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Received wisdom – the worst kind of wisdom – tells us that socks and sandals are a bad idea. Nonsense, we say. Make your own mind up. Here, Dries Van Noten’s utilitarian strappy sandals and Anonymous Ism’s colour-block socks add contrast to this fun shirt-and-shorts combo from Hungarian designer Nanushka, which bears one of our favourite prints of this summer: an abstract line drawing depicting the medina walls of Marrakesh.

There’s something about high-waisted, pleated shorts like these that transports us immediately to high summer in Naples, a place where stifling heat never gets in the way of a good outfit. Wear this pair from UMIT BENAN B+ with a tucked-in linen shirt – you can’t go wrong with Hartford – and a pair of raffia and leather slides from Manolo Blahnik for an outfit that the dapper Neapolitan gentlemen would be proud to call their own.

Let’s hear it for the peach, a truly versatile fruit: symbol of the state of Georgia, suggestive emoji and now, courtesy of Stüssy, unquestionably this summer’s most eye-popping print. There’s an argument to be made here that the shorts and shirt are actually harder to rock individually than together. After all, what goes with giant peaches? Is there any point in trying to tone it down? You might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. On that note, if you’re bold enough to give this one a go out then we suggest finishing with a spritz of TOM FORD BEAUTY’s Bitter Peach eau de parfum.

How do you turn a simple striped T-shirt into something special? Try a different material. This one from Lardini is cut from terry cotton, a soft fabric with a towelled texture. We’ve styled it here with navy Bermuda shorts from Rubinacci, a floral-print belt bag from TOM FORD and Fendi deck shoes worn with striped socks. Doubling up on stripes can be a risky business – admittedly far from the riskiest style move in this list – but keep your second stripy section subtle and you won’t go far wrong.

This faded T-shirt from Gallery Dept., the clothing brand of Los Angeles artist Mr Josué Thomas, just screams vintage Americana. We’ve styled it accordingly, tucking into a pair of cropped blue denim jeans from Maison Margiela in a classic straight-legged fit – the happy medium in the skinny versus wide, Gen Z versus Millennial, and now, apparently, North Korea versus Western capitalist decadence debate – and a pair of old-school Nikes. We’re talking 1970s old school, by the way; the Waffle was the Beaverton sportswear giant’s first-ever shoe.

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a happy halfway house between the smartness of trousers and the breeziness of shorts? Allow us to introduce you, dear reader, to the wonder of culottes. This pair from Bottega Veneta are cut from sturdy cotton twill, a fabric with a substantial handle, so they’ll hold their wide-legged shape instead of clinging to your legs, a godsend in sultry summer weather. Also from Bottega Veneta are the intrecciato leather slides and the pea-green terry-cotton T-shirt, which adds a vivid pop of colour to this outfit.

Now that Memorial Day is in the rearview mirror, we’re happy to announce that you’re officially allowed to wear white. By whom? And with what authority? Don’t ask us, we’re no supporters of outdated sartorial diktats. We do concede, however, that there’s something inherently summery about lighter colours. Not only do they absorb less heat, making them cooler to wear, but they strike a fresher and more upbeat tone than the navies and greys that tend to dominate our winter wardrobes. If pure white seems too high-maintenance, opt instead for a subtle off-white, such as the ecru shade of these tapered drawstring trousers from our own brand Mr P., which we’ve matched here with a distressed-denim overshirt from visvim and a classic pair of Converse.

While it might seem contrary to common sense, an abundance of fabric can actually help you to stay cool during summer. The generous cut of these cotton-twill trousers from Studio Nicholson doesn’t just lend them their characteristic silhouette; it also gives them an airy quality, meaning you’ll be far cooler wearing these than you would be in a pair of slim-fit jeans. Completing this classic summer look are a pair of leather-strap sandals from SAINT LAURENT and a camp-collar linen shirt from Caruso with sleeves nonchalantly rolled.

Nothing says “Leave me alone, I’m on holiday” quite like a knitted polo shirt, the ne plus ultra of casual luxury. A world away from the standard cotton-piqué variation, Canali’s take on the sporting classic is knitted from viscose- and silk-blend fibres for a smooth texture and comes in a shade of the palest pink. It’s worn here with a pair of tobacco-coloured drawstring trousers from UMIT BENAN B+, the super-luxe, made-in-Italy menswear brand from the multi-talented Turkish designer Mr Umit Benan.

What’s behind fashion’s current obsession with comfort? Everywhere we look, we’re seeing menswear with more in common with pyjamas than with regular clothes. If it’s a hangover from being stuck indoors for the last year, well, this is one hangover we’ll gladly endure. Here’s a perfect example of so-laid-back-it’s-lying-down summer style from SMR Days, Massimo Alba and UMIT BENAN B+, which provide the chore jacket, chambray shirt and drawstring trousers in this outfit, respectively. As for footwear, there’s only one shoe to accompany this kind of outfit: that old Catalan classic, the espadrille, offered here in suede by Anderson & Sheppard.