There is something seductive about nautical style. Not just because it evokes summer vistas and sea air, but because it walks that particularly pleasing line between elegance and ease. Few other genres of menswear allow a man to look simultaneously relaxed and entirely in control. Which perhaps explains why, every now and then, menswear drifts back towards the marina.
For Summer 2026, the tide is unmistakably turning. Boat shoes are back, as are Breton-striped sweaters. White trousers feel like they have a place again – especially when paired with a plaited belt or French blue blazer.
‘Like so many trending looks right now, nautical style speaks to stealth luxury,’ says Mr Porter’s style director, Benedict Browne. ‘Sailing has always been a pastime that the rich and famous enjoy.’ Think JFK in Hyannis Port, Jude Law’s Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley, with his striped piqué button-throughs and rolled-up hems, or Alain Delon brooding in a washed linen shirt in Plein Soleil.
This is worth noting because true nautical menswear has never really been about novelty anchor motifs or aggressively kitsch stripes. It’s rooted instead in naval tailoring, Riviera sportswear, Ivy League prep and the quietly aspirational world of sailing clubs and summer houses. ‘Nautical style introduced so many landmark garments to menswear – yachting blazers, fishermen’s sweaters, deck shoes, striped T-shirts,’ continues Browne. ‘It’s easily one of the most influential genres of clothing we’ve got to enjoy today.’
The newly launched Marlin collection by Tod’s, inspired by the legendary 52-ft power cruiser once owned by JFK (it was his unofficial presidential yacht), feels particularly well timed for this reason. Rather than leaning into obvious sailing tropes, the collection channels a softer kind of elegance; cream technical bombers trimmed with nappa leather, preppy two-tone deck shoes and canvas holdalls designed for long, Mediterranean-bound weekends.
Layered and laidback, the epitome of classic nautical styling
The palette itself – off-white, leafy green and tan – borrows directly from the boat itself. Elsewhere, other brands are approaching nautical style with similar subtlety. Hermès’ SS26 collection is awash with playful knotted neckerchiefs, funnel-neck sweaters and tan-leather-meets-cream-canvas holdalls, while Margaret Howell’s combinations of layered-up polo shirts and voluminous tailored shorts feel utilitarian, but also nostalgic. For designer Oliver Spencer, nautical style’s enduring appeal lies firmly in a sense of nostalgia. ‘It’s really deeply romantic,’ he says. ‘You can look like you own a boat, even if you don’t.’ Spencer also points out that nautical dressing shares much of its DNA with old-school sporting attire – cream flannels, polo shirts and soft tailoring that came to be in an era when dressing for leisure still carried with it a certain sense of formality.
Not that you need to look formal in 2026. The trick, according to Sunspel’s design director David Telfer, is restraint. ‘Keep it to one nautical reference in an outfit,’ he says. ‘Choose a navy polo, a striped T-shirt or a white linen shirt, and let the rest of the look stay simple.’ Sunspel’s cotton mesh Riviera polos (first designed to wear on the French Riviera in the 1950s), are an easy place to start. Tuck into pleated shorts and throw a lightweight sweater around your shoulders if you feel so inclined.
Another tip? If in doubt, stick with navy. ‘Navy is so evocative of sailing and holidays by the sea,’ says Isabel Ettedgui, owner of Connolly. ‘Pair a navy jacket with crisp white trousers and a great mariner stripe T-shirt or sweater.’ Connolly’s La Mer half-sleeve crew neck is a great option here – knitted in an indulgent, lightweight blend of cashmere, silk and organic cotton – as is the brand’s bright white Port Trousers, which elevate the humble chino.
Perhaps this is why nautical style keeps washing back ashore. Not because most of us own yachts or spend August bobbing around Capri, but because nautical menswear still represents a fantasy: relaxed affluence, old-world glamour and the idea that summer might stretch on forever.
