The designer label that gave us the legendary horsebit loafer was always going to be a shoe-in – if you’ll pardon for the pun – for a rundown of summer’s best brands. A go-to name for well-heeled holidaymakers ever since the mid-20th century’s golden age of jet travel, what’s notable about Gucci today is its breadth of appeal. Whether you’re in the market for a classic pair of loafers or going full “Jack Grealish in Ibiza” in a matching monogrammed shirt and shorts, Gucci is sure to have you covered this summer.

Nobody does summer style quite like the Italians. We celebrated the country’s peerless contributions to warm-weather dressing earlier this summer with our Al Fresco! mini campaign, which brought together some of Italy’s finest brands for a series of exclusive tailoring collections. Brioni was one of the undisputed highlights, serving up the kind of unstructured tailoring that we can imagine wearing at a glamorous Tuscan summer wedding. It’s a highly persuasive argument for adding the brand to your rotation if you haven’t already.

It may seem strange now, but there was a time before Orlebar Brown, when swim shorts that were smart enough to take you from a morning spent by the pool to lunch at the hotel simply didn’t exist. (Or, if they did, they weren’t readily available.) Thankfully, Mr Adam Brown spotted a gap in the market, launched his brand in 2007 and the rest is history. Orlebar Brown has since expanded from swim shorts and now offers a full range of chic casualwear and resortwear, making it a reliably stylish option for near enough anything you’ll be packing into your suitcase this summer.

Nothing says summer more than flowers in full bloom. And if it’s florals you’re after, then look no further than Mr Dries van Noten, the Belgian designer (and member of the legendary Antwerp Six) who has turned artful prints into something of a speciality at his namesake brand. Don’t miss its range of swim shorts and short-sleeved shirts adorned with exotic flowers, palm fronds and tropical birds: they’re just the thing to add a bit of drama and vibrancy to your holiday wardrobe.

Sitting at the intersection of resortwear and loungewear, SMR Days serves up a laid-back vision for summer style inspired by the globetrotting adventures of its three founders, fashion industry veterans Messrs Dan May, Adam Shapiro and Gautam Rajani. Travel is at the heart of the brand, but its range of granddad shirts, drawstring shorts and elegantly rumpled cotton and linen tailoring could just as easily be used as the foundations for a working-from-home wardrobe. (Should they have called it WFH Days?)