Where To Spend And Where To Save On Your Summer Wardrobe 2026

Buy well, buy once is a mantra we live by, which usually means spending a bit more money. For example, we’ll always nudge you towards a pair of proper Goodyear-welted boots rather than the cheap, pleather, high-street alternatives… even though they may cost a fraction of the price.

For us, the value isn’t in how big the initial saving is, it’s in how the piece in question proves its worth over time. But when talk turns to investment pieces, there tends to be a winter bias – heavy wool coats, raw denim, traditional tailoring – and summer is often forgotten.

With that in mind, here are five seasonally appropriate pieces we believe are actually worth spending a bit more on this summer and five where you can probably save a few pennies to even it out.

5 Things Worth Spending On

A Summer Suit

Velasca

As anyone who has ever spent a day sweating under the baking August sun in a navy wool suit will tell you, summer weddings have their own unique set of requirements when it comes to clothing. Material is key here – a light, airy linen or linen blend will make sure you don’t wind up like a boil-in-the-bag fish before the dancefloor has even been mentioned – and spending a bit more will ensure you get the good stuff.

Cut is key too, and while it’s possible to get a linen suit surprisingly cheaply, you’ll probably find it lacking in this department. Spend the extra cash on something that fits like a glove and lets you breathe properly in the heat. You won’t regret it.

Leather Sandals

Velasca

Anything made of leather is usually worth spending more on, be it a belt, a pair of dress shoes, or even sandals. You’re paying a premium not just for the quality of the materials but often for the craftsmanship too.

A fisherman sandal that costs £40 from a high-street shop versus one handmade by a respected shoemaker such as Paraboot or Grenson will offer a vastly different experience in terms of build quality and, consequently, durability and longevity.

Look for handmade versions that use traditional construction techniques. Bonus points if they can be repaired and/or resoled easily, which will extend their lifespan further still.

Sunglasses

Oliver Peoples

You can buy sunglasses dirt cheap. They might look passable or even quite nice at first glance, but it’s through long-term use and closer inspection that the cut corners become apparent. Flimsy hinges, poor optical clarity, poor UV protection. Ultimately, you’ll end up buying again in the near future.

For us, sunglasses fall firmly under buy it for life. Unless you lose them, there’s no reason a well-made metal or acetate frame won’t still be serving you in summers 10, 20 or 30 years from now.

Spend more for superior materials and construction, and the likelihood is that you’ll actually end up saving money in the long run.

Dive Watch

Wolbrook

A dive watch is a great option all year round, but it really finds its groove during the summer – pools, beach days, holidays where you only want to take one timepiece. It’s one of the few genuinely do-everything designs. Robust enough for sea swimming, smart enough for dinner, and understated enough to wear every day in between. That versatility alone makes it worthy of a bigger investment.

What you’re paying for is the engineering. Better movements keep more accurate time and are easier to service, while higher-grade stainless steel, ceramic bezels and sapphire crystals withstand years of knocks, saltwater and sun without looking haggard.

Buy from a respected Swiss or Japanese manufacturer and you’ll have a watch that can realistically last a lifetime… and one that may even hold its value surprisingly well.

Lightweight Knits

Velasca

Knitwear might seem like an odd place to spend money in the height of summer, but hear us out. Fine-gauge options made from naturally temperature-regulating materials are the perfect warm-weather layers, but the difference in quality between cheap and expensive is very apparent.

The best examples use long-staple cotton, fine merino or linen blends that feel cooler, drape better and retain their shape after repeated wear and washing.

Construction matters just as much as the yarn itself. Premium knitwear is often fully fashioned rather than simply cut from larger panels, resulting in cleaner seams, a more flattering fit and a garment that ages gracefully instead of twisting out of shape.

5 Things Worth Saving On

Plain T-Shirts

Uniqlo

As nice as a £70 Sunspel T-shirt made from luxuriously soft supima cotton is, it’s probably not the most savvy way to stock your summer wardrobe. T-shirts are very much on the frontline when it comes to warm-weather outfits. They’re getting sweated on, sprayed with suncream and all the rest of it.

What you really want are inexpensive ones you can easily replace if necessary. The truth is that brands such as Uniqlo and M&S actually make fantastic plain tees that fit well, drape nicely and are made of decent materials for the money. And if we’re talking £70 versus £7, the potential savings are enormous.

Swim Shorts

M&S

Again, swim shorts take some serious abuse from suncream, UV rays, salt and chlorine. An expensive pair might look nice, but even the best ones in the world will eventually succumb to the effects of all of the above.

The last thing you want to be doing on holiday is worrying about ruining your Orlebar Brown Bulldogs, so spend less and allow yourself the freedom to relax.

Pool Slides

Next

Pool slides are essentially moulded pieces of foam or rubber. That’s true whether they have Nike, Gucci or Decathlon stamped on them.

If you’re buying so-called ‘luxury’ ones, you can save yourself a huge amount of money on essentially the exact same product, minus the obnoxious designer logo.

Shorts

M&S

Obviously, there are exceptions here. If we’re talking fancy tailored shorts in premium materials, then yes, you might want to spend a bit of money, but for the everyday versions you’re going to be spending the majority of your time in, cheaper options from high-street names will do the job perfectly well.

Plus, some of them are actually pretty good these days, whether we’re talking linen, chinos, pleats or activewear. Take a look at what the likes of Uniqlo, COS, H&M and M&S have to offer. You might be pleasantly surprised.

That Cool Trending Thing

Pull & Bear

Spotted an emerging trend that tickles your fancy? Our advice is to avoid splurging on the most expensive version. Whether it’s a pair of generously proportioned jorts, some 90s boyband-esque Oakleys or a cropped tee, there’s a chance you’re going to wear it once, decide you look mildly ridiculous and bury it in the back of the wardrobe.

Instead, test the waters with a cheap version first and see how you feel. If you like it and decide it’s something you want to adopt, you can always buy the more expensive option later. If not, no harm done.