At the end of each path on Petit St Vincent stands a bamboo pole with two flags. Raise the yellow one and someone comes; raise the red one and nobody does. The cottages have no televisions, and the island keeps screens and signals at a distance. On an island of about 115 acres with only 22 cottages and villas, that small system says everything about the pace, and it says a good deal about what to wear on Petit St Vincent as well: very little, chosen well, and nothing that needs attention.

The island lies at the southern end of St Vincent and the Grenadines, a short boat ride from Union Island, where the small airstrip receives flights from the larger islands. Its cottages are built of local stone and set apart on hillsides and beaches, and the season that matters runs through the northern winter, when the trade winds are steady and the air is dry enough to make the afternoons easy.

The day on the sand

Most of the day is spent between the cottage, the beach below it and the water. The PP natural swim shorts from the swim shorts collection go into the sea, the snorkelling and the boat across to Mopion, the tiny sandbar nearby with a single thatched shade. On the walk up from the beach for lunch, a Cuba linen shirt in Blue or Lemon Yellow over dry swim shorts is all the island asks. Women wear the ladies linen set in Sky Blue or Coral Orange over a swimsuit, or the HER Laos linen shirt in Pink, worn open.

Lunch and the long afternoon

Lunch is served in the open pavilions or brought to the cottage when the flag says so. The heat in the middle of the day is gentle by Caribbean standards, thanks to the wind, but the sun on the water is strong. A Laos Short Sleeve linen shirt in White or Sky Blue with PP linen shorts in White is cool and clean against the stone and sand. For her, the PP linen blouse in Lemon from the women's linen collection, worn loose over the shorts of the ladies linen set.

Afternoons are for reading in the shade, for the dive centre on the island, or for nothing at all. Petit St Vincent is not a place for changes of outfit. The garment that has been worn since lunch is usually the one that walks to dinner, and linen allows that, and nobody on the island expects otherwise.

Dinner under the stars

Dinner is relaxed but considered. Men wear long linen trousers, the PP Casual Linen Trousers in Vanille or Sapphire Blue, with a Bliss linen shirt in Sky Blue or a Vibes linen shirt in Dubarry from the men's linen collection, open at the neck. No jacket is needed, and the barefoot habit of the beach gives way only to a pair of soft shoes. For women it is the hour of the Amelia linen dress shirt in Hibiscus or Violet, two of the deepest colours in the women's collection.

The wider Grenadines reward the same restraint. Neighbouring Mustique dresses up a little more in the evening; Bequia is a sailors' harbour; Canouan has its own private calm. The guide to St Vincent and the Grenadines covers the island chain, and Mustique shows the evening at its most social.

A short packing list

Two pairs of swim shorts, three linen shirts of different weights and sleeve lengths, one pair of linen trousers and one pair of linen shorts. For her: the ladies linen set, one PP linen blouse, two Amelia linen dress shirts for the evenings and a wide hat. Leave out anything that needs pressing or explaining. The flag will do the talking.

Read more: What to Wear on Canouan  ·  What to Wear on Bequia