Tinos is first of all a place of pilgrimage. Before it is a beach island or a food island, it is the home of the Panagia Evangelistria, the church above the port to which Greeks travel from across the country, some of them climbing the avenue from the harbour on their knees. What to wear on Tinos begins there, with a degree of cover that its neighbour Mykonos, a short crossing to the south-east, never asks of anyone. The rest follows from wind, marble and some fifty villages spread over a mountainous interior.

The dress expected at the church is simple and worth respecting: shoulders covered, and knees covered for men and women alike. On 15 August, the feast of the Dormition, the town is at its fullest and most formal. On an ordinary weekday the atmosphere is quieter, but the expectation stands. A long-sleeved linen shirt and long trousers answer it for him. For her, the PP linen blouse, with its long sleeves, over a long skirt of her own answers it. The Amelia linen dress shirt is a dress in itself, cut to the thigh, and is kept for the rest of the day.

Then there is the wind. In myth the island was the home of Aeolus, and the meltemi is felt here more strongly than on most of its neighbours, funnelled across the ridge of Mount Tsiknias. This shapes the choice of cloth. Anything loose and very light will not stay where it is put. A linen shirt with some weight, buttoned, with sleeves that can be rolled and secured, behaves well. The Laos Long Sleeve Linen Shirt in Beige Cream or Oyster is the useful piece: sleeves down for the church and the evening, rolled for the afternoon.

The villages are the reason to hire a car. Pyrgos, in the north-west, is the marble village: fountains, lintels, the bus shelter and the cemetery are all carved from the local stone, and the Museum of Marble Crafts sits just above it. The sculptor Yannoulis Chalepas was born there. Volax lies in a basin scattered with round granite boulders and has a tradition of basket weaving. Kardiani and Isternia hang above the western coast. In the valleys between stand the island's Venetian dovecotes, small white towers faced with geometric patterns in slate.

Village days are walking days, on marble steps that are slippery when polished by use. Soft soles with grip, a hat that fastens, and layers. The interior stands high enough to be noticeably cooler than the port, and a shirt that felt right at the harbour at ten can feel thin in Volax at noon if the wind is up. The Bliss Linen Shirt, long in the sleeve, in Vanille or Lemon Yellow, takes the place of a second layer for him. For her, the HER Laos Linen Shirt in Blue or Grey worn over the ladies linen set gives an extra layer that comes off again at lunch.

The beaches divide by wind direction. Kolymbithra, on the north coast, faces the meltemi and has become a surfing bay. Agios Romanos and Agios Fokas, on the south side, are the sheltered choices on a blowing day. PP natural swim shorts in Oyster or Sapphire Blue are the garment for the sea, and on Tinos they tend to dry quickly once out of it. The shirt goes back on for the taverna behind the sand. A ladies linen set in Sky Blue or Mint Green does the same for her over swimwear, and stays put in a breeze better than a wrap.

Tinos has a serious table, and it is a reason people return. Artichokes from the plain of Komi, served in every form in May; louza, the island's cured pork; local cheeses; and a small number of wineries working among the boulders near Falatados. Dinner in the port or in a village square is unceremonious. A fresh shirt and long trousers are entirely sufficient, and PP Casual Linen Trousers in Oatmeal or Vanille are comfortable through a long meal. After dark in the villages a long sleeve is wanted in every month but July and August, and sometimes then.

Ferries to Tinos are expected from Rafina, the nearer mainland port, and from Piraeus, with connections to Mykonos, Syros and Andros; the island has no airport, and sailings are sometimes suspended when the wind is strong, which is worth allowing for at the end of a stay.

What the island asks, in the end, is respect and practicality in equal measure: cover at the church, weight against the wind, a sleeve for the evening. A bag packed for Mykonos needs little added, only a longer sleeve and a longer hem for the church and the wind.

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