On Alifushi, an inhabited island in the north of Raa Atoll, the Maldivian dhoni is still built by hand: a wooden hull taking shape on the beach, plank by plank, in a craft the island is known for across the country. It is a useful place to begin, because Raa is two worlds side by side. There are the resort islands, reached by seaplane, where the day moves from villa to lagoon to sandbank; and there are the local islands, with their schools and boatyards, where daily life follows its own customs. What to wear in Raa Atoll depends on which of the two you are standing on, and a well-chosen linen wardrobe crosses between them easily.

Raa lies north of Baa, and most guests arrive by seaplane from Malé, a flight of under an hour over a scattered map of reefs; some resorts also use the domestic airport at Ifuru and a speedboat transfer. Resorts on the atoll include JOALI Maldives, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau and Cora Cora Maldives. The seaplane is a short flight in a small cabin, and arrival is barefoot on a wooden platform. Light trousers and a loose shirt are the comfortable choice: the PP Trousers 100% Linen in White with a Male Linen Shirt in Blue, or for women the PP linen blouse in Pink with her own light trousers.

Villa days are the core of a stay, and they need very little. Water villas open straight on to the lagoon, beach villas on to the sand. For men, the PP natural swim shorts in Roosewood Pink or Oatmeal are worn from breakfast to the last swim, with a Laos Short Sleeve Linen Shirt in White for lunch at the restaurant. For women, the Amelia linen dress shirt in Lemon covers the walk along the jetty to lunch and back, light enough to be forgotten once it is on.

Excursions run by boat: a sandbank picnic, snorkelling on the outer reef, a sunset dhoni cruise. The boat and the water belong to the swim shorts; the sandbank, once the anchor is down, is a strip of white with no shade beyond what the crew puts up. A linen shirt with long sleeves, such as the Bliss Linen Shirt in Vanille, is worth taking ashore for the hours under the open sky, and a hat matters more than anything else in the bag.

A visit to a local island is different, and a respectful one begins with clothing. Ugoofaaru, the atoll's capital, and islands such as Alifushi are home to communities where shoulders and knees are expected to be covered for both men and women, swimwear stays on the boat, and alcohol is not served. For men, the Male Linen Shirt in Grey with long linen trousers is right; for women, the PP linen blouse in Sky Blue with a long skirt or long loose trousers, the Amelia linen dress shirt being kept for the resort. A guide arranged through the resort can explain local customs and island life on the way across.

Evenings bring the most variety. Dinner might be at a restaurant on stilts over the lagoon, on a jetty lit by lanterns or at a table set on the sand. The air cools only slightly after dark, and a fine linen shirt is all a man needs: the Vibes Linen Shirt in Dubarry, oversized and shorter in the body, worn untucked over PP Casual Linen Trousers in Oatmeal. For women, the Amelia linen dress shirt in Dubarry or Oyster picks up the same quiet colour for a couple dressing together. On a resort island, shoes can usually stay at the villa.

The northeast monsoon, the Iruvai, brings the driest weather from around December to April, with calm seas and long clear days. October and November are a transition, with some showers between bright spells and warm water throughout. Raa sits beside atolls already familiar to readers of the Journal: Baa Atoll to the south and Noonu Atoll to the northeast, each with its own character.

In the dry season the lagoon around a Raa island is so clear that the shadow of a moored dhoni lies sharp on the sand beneath it, as though the boat were floating on air.

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