The purple pastel family is particularly laid-back, incorporating soft, relaxing shades such as lilac and French lavender, both of which we’ve included in this selection. There’s enough contrast between the lighter and darker shades that you could feasibly wear a couple of these at the same time. You can imagine the more intense purple of the Converse All-Stars contrasting nicely with the checkerboard shorts from New Delhi-based brand Kardo, or the pops of intense purple in the beaded necklace from Peyote Bird stand out against the lilac sweater from Acne Studios. (We’d suggest sticking to a maximum of two, though.)

Historically considered effeminate, the colour pink has been the subject of a major reevaluation in recent years – and pastels have been at the heart of it. Remember “millennial pink”, the soft, powdery shade of pink that was everywhere in 2016? Well, you can add peach, salmon-pink and dusty rose to that, too. La Paz’s pastel-pink linen chore jacket is a great alternative to the more obvious choices of tan or indigo-blue, while tees, shorts and espadrilles show off the colour’s easy-wearing versatility. Alternatively, if you want to use the colour in a more impactful way, try these rose-tinted sunglasses from Cutler and Gross.

In undiluted form, the colour green has the power to really define an outfit. Just look at “Bottega Green”, the trend-setting shade that made such a splash when it was revealed in 2020. By comparison, the softer, more washed-out shades of green –which include minty green, teal, and the confusingly named Cambridge blue –are extremely wearable. They should slot seamlessly into your existing wardrobe. SAIF UD DEEN’s T-shirt or Stone Island’s shorts are both fine examples. For a more daring application, try this edition of Oris’ Divers Sixty-Five, a bronze diving watch with echoes of Tiffany’s collaboration with Patek Philippe.

Bringing to mind Miami architecture and sun-bleached skies, pastel or “duck-egg” blue is a serene colour that’s ideal for summer. It works well with other pale colours, and is an especially good companion for white – try Officine Générale’s sweatshirt or Loro Piana’s polo shirt with a pair of white jeans to see what we mean. Elsewhere, Manolo Blahnik’s loafers, Mr P.’s sunglasses and Polo Ralph Lauren’s baseball cap are no-brainer additions to your summer holiday suitcase.

Chromatic shorthand for optimism, confidence and joy, yellow is the quintessential feel-good colour, and its mood-boosting qualities are just as potent in its more washed-out variants. Look at Canali’s vintage champagne-coloured swim shorts, or the lemon-tart yellow of Norse Projects’ linen-blend shirt. For a more direct and literal expression of yellow’s joyous undertones, try KAPITAL’s socks: they come with a smiley face on the heel. You can’t be any clearer than that.