The pick-up comes before dawn. Balloons fly at first light because the air is calmest then, before the sun warms the ground and stirs the wind, so most flights mean a hotel lobby in the dark, a drive to a launch field and an hour of standing in the cold while the envelope is filled. That hour, rather than the flight itself, is the first thing to dress for. What to wear on a hot air balloon flight answers to a cold field, a basket in the sky and a landing in open country.

The places where people fly for pleasure are mostly warm by day and cool at night. In Cappadocia, where well over a hundred balloons can rise over the valleys of Göreme on a still morning, October dawns can be cold enough for a coat. Over the West Bank at Luxor, above the Valley of the Kings, and in the desert outside Dubai or on the plains below the Atlas near Marrakech, the morning is milder but still noticeably cooler than the afternoon will be. Within an hour of take-off the sun is up and the temperature climbs quickly.

The answer is layers, and linen is the right base for them. A long-sleeved linen shirt, such as the Laos Long Sleeve Linen Shirt in Oyster or the Bliss Linen Shirt in Grey from the men's collection, sits comfortably under a knit or a jacket in the launch field and on its own once the sun is up; the sleeves stay down in the basket. Over it, a PP gilet or a fine wool sweater is the layer that comes off first; without sleeves, a gilet keeps the chest warm in the launch field and folds small in the basket. Long linen trousers, such as the PP Casual Linen Trousers in Black or Sapphire Blue, suit the whole outing.

The basket brings its own considerations. It is waist to chest high, and passengers usually climb in and out using footholds in its wicker sides, so a dress or a short skirt is awkward. For her, the PP linen blouse in Pink or Sky Blue with full-length trousers climbs in and out of the basket easily, a knit or a light jacket over it until the sun is up. Above the basket, the burner fires in bursts and its heat is felt on the head and shoulders; a soft cap or a hat that will not blow away is sensible, and long hair is safer tied back. Because the balloon moves with the wind rather than through it, there is almost no breeze once airborne, and the morning feels warmer in the air than it did on the ground.

The landing is the part few people plan for. The balloon comes down where the wind and the pilot allow, often in a field, a vineyard, a dusty track or desert scrub, and passengers climb out onto whatever is there. Flat, closed shoes that can take dust and uneven ground are essential; open sandals and heels are not. Long trousers protect the legs from scrub, and the linen shirt underneath, worn since five in the morning, is ready for whatever the rest of the day holds.

Many flights end with a breakfast near the landing site or back at the hotel, and the outfit that left in the dark now has to sit at a table in the sun. With the knit and the gilet taken off, the long-sleeved shirt and the trousers are enough. Some travellers bring a second garment for the rest of the day; for her, the Amelia linen dress shirt in Coral Orange or Dubarry is light enough to fold into a small bag and suits a terrace breakfast in Cappadocia or a late morning by the pool. For the rest of a Cappadocia stay, our guide to what to wear in Cappadocia follows the valleys and the cave hotels; for an evening among the dunes after a desert flight, what to wear to a desert dinner is the companion piece.

Flights are weather-dependent, and operators cancel when the wind is too strong, sometimes at the launch field itself. Booking the flight for the first morning of a stay leaves room for a second attempt.

Read more: What to Wear in Marrakech  ·  What to Wear in Cappadocia for Women