11 men's yachting wardrobe essentials

A perfectly tailored suit, a cashmere sweater, leather loafers: there are certain pieces no man's wardrobe would be complete without. Featuring iconic items by designers including Larusmiani, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, we uncover the heritage, history and design features that make these items indispensable to the modern superyacht owner.

Yves Salomon tracksuit

Athleisure has been fashion’s favourite buzzword for (too) many seasons – and often used to mask sartorial laziness. Not the case with this leather tracksuit by Yves Salomon: with buttery soft leather and a slimming cut in a chic mustard shade, it screams private jet, not grocery run. For extra style points, wear it with an untucked shirt and white trainers.

Leather jacket in mustard brown, £1,310; trouser, £950, yves-salomon.com

After more than a decade in the fashion wilderness, the camouflage print re-emerged in 2017, when it was spotted everywhere on the runway – from street-style favourites Off-White and Vetements to sartorial powerhouses Bottega Veneta and Cerruti. Since then, it has shown no sign of disappearing from the world’s wardrobes – you’ll find it on jackets, shirts, trousers, backpacks and more. That’s hardly surprising, since the camo pattern acts like a neutral and goes with pretty much everything. Wear it on deck this Caribbean season with these Larusmiani swimming shorts.

Swim shorts, €225, larusmiani.it

Spanish brand Ecoalf was founded by Javier Goyeneche to create clothes from recycled material and today it collects hundreds of tonnes of discarded plastic from the bottom of the Mediterranean to create cool outerwear – so far, it has recycled 70 million plastic bottles. This Tucson waterproof jacket is made with 100 per cent recycled nylon fashioned from discarded fishing nets.

Jacket, £200, ecoalf.com

Perfect for pairing with everything from summer shorts to a modern slim-cut suit, dress trainers are the new men’s wardrobe must-have and few do them better than Stefano Ricci. Founded on a 100 per cent made in Italy ethos, each pair is handcrafted in fine leather or crocodile skin, with inspiration taken from the eponymous designer’s Florentine heritage. Choose a bold blue hue for spring or, for something truly special, make use of the brand’s bespoke accessory service.

Trainers, £2,600, stefanoricci.com

For most yacht owners and guests the Loro Piana brand needs no introduction. Whether it’s the Storm System gear for regatta-goers, highly sought after Vicuna wool knits, or breezy linen shirts, the chances are there’s something with a Loro Piana label on board wherever you’re sailing. And now you can add to your collection with this super soft cashmere and jersey hooded bomber – ideal for braving the worst of the winter elements.

£2,300, loropiana.com

Founded in 1891 by Édouard Blanchard, JM Weston’s elegant loafers have been a staple of Parisian style for more than a century. Still handmade in the Limoges factory from which they originated, Weston’s ‘mocs’ became a cult hit in the 1960s when worn by rebel French Mods known as the “Bande du Drugstore”. New interpretations under current creative director Michel Perry remain primed for the modern wardrobe. This turmeric-hued pair is a case in point.

Calfskin Le Moc’ loafers, £420, jmweston.fr

Founded in Rome in 1945, Brioni has been a trailblazer since it staged the first ever men’s fashion show, at the Palazzo Pitti, Florence in 1952. Now helmed by Australian creative director Justin O’Shea, the house’s booming bespoke and ready-to-wear lines are a perfect example of prized Italian craftsmanship. A case in point is this classically elegant fitted shirt – add a simple Brioni gold pin for unexpected edge at your next formal yacht dinner. Zoe Dickens

White cotton formal shirt, £400; Gold pin, POA, brioni.com

Diego Della Valle, the chairman and CEO of Tod’s, is a man who loves the sea. He also loves the mythology of American casualwear and sees this epitomised in the enduring style of one John Fitzgerald Kennedy. These two passions combine happily in the fact that since 1998 Della Valle has been the owner of Marlin, a boat that was for many years in the Kennedy family.

Della Valle’s forebears were shoemakers in the Marche region of Italy, where Tod’s is still based, and the company has been built on a combination of Italian craftsmanship and the relaxed weekend style of the US, which the young Della Valle saw while working there for his father’s shoe business. It struck him that, while Italians oozed style, it was based around formal wear, while the Americans dressed down to relax. Della Valle recognised in the humble driving shoe a perfect opportunity to express his new vision for an Italian casual lifestyle and created the now famous Tod’s moccasin, the Gommino. It has a sole covered with 133 rubber pebbles, or gommini. Since its launch in the 1970s, the model has been rendered in a multitude of versions in a variety of materials and colours, featuring various details. Peter Howarth

Tod’s Leo Clamp Gommino, £380, tods.com

There are few better suited to dress the aspirational world of yachting than Ralph Lauren. His curated mix of preppy youth, classic cuts and all-American appeal make his designs favourites for life at sea.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the brand’s signature chino. With a broad following, these trousers have cemented their place as the stylish choice for the wealthy at play. How to wear yours this summer? Keep things simple with a tailored white shirt and rolled cuff. Zoe Dickens

Polo Ralph Lauren Oxford cotton sport shirt, £110 and slim-fit Hudson cotton chinos, £110, ralphlauren.com

Like many of the best designs, Persol sunglasses (from the Italian per il sole, meaning “for the sun”) were born out of necessity. In 1917, Turin photographer and optician Giuseppe Ratti began making eyewear for Italian air force pilots and Alpini soldiers fighting in the snowy Dolomites.

After the war, these goggles and later, sunglasses, with the famous Silver Arrow hinge, caught on among yachtsmen and petrolheads alike. By the 1960s, Jack Kennedy was wearing them and Marcello Mastroianni donned the classic Persol 649 in the 1961 comedy Divorce Italian Style. Seven years later, Steve McQueen ensured continued “cool factor”, when he wore the folding version of the 649, the 714, with striking cobalt-blue lenses, in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). The 714 was (and is) made with natural cotton acetate, photopolarising lenses and flexing cylinders in the arm to create a more personalised fit. Chris Madigan

Persol sunglasses, from £185, David Clulow