Porto Cervo did not exist before the 1960s. The harbour village was built on an empty stretch of the north-east Sardinian coast by a consortium led by the Aga Khan, and its architects gave it a deliberate character: rough white plaster, juniper beams, granite steps and terracotta, low buildings that follow the rock rather than standing over it. Sixty years on, that natural, hand-finished vocabulary still sets the tone. Clothes that share it, in natural cloth and quiet colour, look as if they belong.

For a woman deciding what to wear in Porto Cervo, the days fall into three settings: the coves and the boats in the morning, the Piazzetta and the marina in the afternoon, and evenings that start late and end later. Each asks for something slightly different, and linen carries all three.

The coast around the village is granite and clear water: Capriccioli, the Spiaggia del Principe, Romazzino, and the long sweep of Liscia Ruja a little to the south. Many of these coves are as easily reached by boat as by road, and a day on the water often ends at a beach restaurant. Over a swimsuit, the ladies linen set in Mint Green or Sky Blue is the simplest answer, going on for the tender ride ashore and lunch and coming off again for the swim. The HER Laos Linen Shirt in Orange, worn open, does the same with a little more colour; its details are in the HER Laos linen shirt guide.

In the afternoon the Piazzetta and the Promenade du Port fill with people moving between the boutiques and the cafés above the old harbour, the yachts of the marina below. This is where the Amelia linen dress shirt comes into its own. In Dubarry or Coral Orange, both certified Belgian linen, it is worn as a dress with flat leather sandals and a straw bag, and it looks as composed at four in the afternoon as it did at noon. The colourways are in the women's linen collection.

Dinner on the Costa Smeralda usually begins late, often after nine, and an evening moves from an aperitivo with a view to a table in the village and, for some, on to a club in the hills. After dark the Amelia linen dress shirt changes colour rather than shape: Oyster, close to the white plaster of the village, worn with a heeled sandal and gold earrings. When the mistral blows, a fine knit or a light jacket is welcome on the walk along the quay. For a more formal table, the PP linen blouse in Lemon with fluid white trousers is the alternative.

For the sunset, the neighbouring bay of Baja Sardinia, a few minutes' drive to the west, is the traditional place to watch the light go down over the sea towards the La Maddalena archipelago. It is an occasion for the ladies linen set in Dubarry, the blouse knotted at the waist or left loose, with flat sandals for the sand. A boat day out to La Maddalena itself, a national park of granite islands, needs the same set, a hat and a swimsuit beneath.

September brings the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, when maxi yachts from across the Mediterranean and beyond gather at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the village fills with crews and spectators. Watching from the shore or a spectator boat calls for clothes that take wind and spray: the PP linen blouse in Sky Blue, white trousers and a hat that ties. Our guide to dressing as a regatta spectator goes further.

Porto Cervo's register for both sexes is set out in what to wear in Porto Cervo, and the rest of the island, from the Costa Smeralda southwards, in what to wear in Sardinia for women. The man beside her will find the PP natural sets answer the same boat days.

Late at night the granite steps of the village still hold some of the day's warmth, and the walk from the Piazzetta down to the boats is taken slowly.

Read more: What to Wear in Capri for Women  ·  What to Wear in Portofino for Women