Ask anyone who lives on the coast and they will tell you the same thing: the Riviera is at its best after the crowds have gone. In October the light comes in low and gold, the water is still warm from a long summer, and the evenings, for the first time in months, ask for a second layer. It is our favourite season to dress for, precisely because it asks for so little — a few good pieces, worn in the right order.
Morning: the knit polo, on its own
Mornings are still mild, and a fine cotton knit polo is all you need. It has the ease of a T-shirt and the manners of a shirt, which is why it has been the Riviera's favourite for seventy years. The Positano in its Riviera stripe is the obvious choice for a walk to the market; the Santorini in driftwood is the quieter one for a long breakfast. Wear it untucked, sleeves as they are, with the collar left open.
Afternoon: a long sleeve, worn open
By two o'clock the sun is high and the terrace is warm, but a breeze comes off the water. This is the hour for a long-sleeved shirt worn open over the polo, cuffs rolled once. The Monopoli in soft cotton does exactly this: it is light enough to forget about, and it turns a polo into an outfit. Below, the Amalfi trouser or the easy, drawstring Procida pants — trousers now, where in August it would have been shorts.
Evening: the sweater over the shoulders
When the sun drops behind the headland, the temperature drops with it, and every table on the quay produces a sweater. The Vernazza and the Sorrento are knitted from cotton rather than wool for exactly this reason: warm enough for a coastal evening, never heavy, and happy to sit over the shoulders until they are needed. Cream over navy, or olive over sand, and you are dressed until midnight.
On the feet
Sandals go back in the cupboard in October — not because of the weather, but because the season has changed its mood. A suede loafer, worn without socks for as long as you can get away with it, is the Riviera answer: the Anacapri in brown goes with everything above. For the walk down to the water, the Stromboli clog does the same job with a little more ease.
The October rule
If there is one principle, it is this: keep the palette warm and close. Sand, cream, olive, navy and a single stripe — colours that look right at golden hour and still right under the lamps of a trattoria. Everything in The Autumn Edit was chosen with that hour in mind. Pack lightly, layer slowly, and stay for one more glass.
