While streetwear continues to dominate urban wardrobes, this summer’s standout trend for the sartorially inclined takes a different path — one that leans into timeless sophistication, clean silhouettes, and coastal elegance. Think lightweight camp-collar shirts, high-waisted tailored trousers in the Gurkha style, classic espadrilles, and heritage sunglasses with enduring appeal.
The colour palette stays understated, echoing the Riviera’s natural surroundings: off-whites, sand beige, deep navy, and sea green — hues that evoke the coast without clamouring for attention. Textures are equally refined, with breathable linens, crisp cottons, and lightweight knits designed to keep you cool under the Mediterranean sun.
It’s clear that menswear is experiencing a return to nostalgia — a revival of an aesthetic past where elegance reigned supreme. This trend is only set to intensify next summer, as evidenced by recent menswear collections previewing the season ahead. After years of maximalist prints and the dominance of athleisure, there’s a renewed yearning for relaxed sophistication and the analogue charm of a more refined era.
Riviera style isn’t just about polished appearances — it speaks to a lifestyle: sun-drenched terraces, leisurely lunches, and effortless conversation as the day winds down. Brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Orlebar Brown, and Ralph Lauren Purple Label have embraced this sartorial revival, while both fast fashion and emerging labels are making it accessible with modern fabric blends and updated silhouettes.
This is a trend rooted in comfort and restraint, rejecting excess in favour of considered ease. A glance back at the French and Italian Riviera of the 1950s and 60s — and the perennial elegance of men like Alain Delon and Gianni Agnelli — is enough to remind us just how powerful simplicity can be.
Since the 1920s, Europe’s wealthiest have flocked each summer to resort towns along the French Riviera — cities like Nice, Marseille, and Cannes — as well as to Portofino and Sanremo on the Italian coast. Riviera style emerged as a way to express European elegance through clothing suited to warmer climates, where daily life extended beyond sunbathing to include sailing, wandering the narrow streets of seaside villages, and long, convivial afternoons spent with friends over cocktails — all while maintaining a refined dress code.
Though fashion has evolved over the decades, the core elements of Riviera menswear remain unchanged. Of course, you don’t need to be on the Côte d’Azur to channel this simple, relaxed style; it’s equally perfect for an evening cocktail on a rooftop bar in the balmy summer evenings of Athens. Just as men of that era conveyed elegance without necessarily donning a full suit — although a lightweight linen suit remains ideal — today, a crisp cotton Breton stripe shirt, a comfortable high-waisted trouser, a polo shirt, or a Cuban-collar shirt are all you need to infuse your look with a timeless twist of retro Riviera style.
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