Start with the sleeve. A man packing for the Seychelles reaches first for short sleeves and is half right. The islands lie a few degrees south of the equator, the sun stands almost overhead, and by eleven in the morning a covered forearm is cooler than a bare one. The wardrobe that works here is built on that observation: one long sleeve linen shirt for every two short, in pale colours, cut with room. What to wear in the Seychelles, for men, comes down to very few garments chosen with some thought.

The climate barely moves. It is between twenty-four and thirty-two degrees in every month of the year, and humid. What changes is the wind. From May to September the south-east trade blows, drier and fresher, with a chop on the exposed coasts. From November to March the north-west monsoon brings calmer air, warmer nights and heavy showers that pass quickly. April and October are the still months between the two, when the sea lies flat and the water is at its clearest. These are the months when the snorkelling is at its height.

In humid heat the wardrobe is linen. It lets air through and it does not cling. The foundation is the Laos short sleeve linen shirt, in White, Oyster or Vanille, for mornings and for the table at lunch. Beside it, the Laos long sleeve linen shirt in Beige Cream for the middle of the day and for boats. PP linen shorts in Beige and in Navy Blue for dry land. PP natural swim shorts for the water. One pair of PP casual linen trousers in Oatmeal for the evening. That is the foundation, and it is all in the men's linen collection.

Mahé is a mountain with beaches around it. The Morne Seychellois National Park covers a large part of the island, and the trail to Copolia climbs through forest for under an hour to a bare granite dome above the east coast and the capital, Victoria. It is a damp, steep walk. A linen shirt is more comfortable on it than might be expected: it lets the air through on the climb and does not stay heavy for long in the breeze at the top. Proper shoes, the long sleeve against the undergrowth, shorts. Victoria's covered market, on the way back, is at its liveliest on a Saturday morning.

The islands are close enough to move between, and many men come to do so under sail. A catamaran covers the passage from Mahé to Praslin in a few hours, and from Praslin to La Digue in less than one. On deck the rule is plain. PP natural swim shorts are the garment for the water and for a wet deck; the natural swim shorts are cut in certified Belgian linen for that purpose. PP linen shorts are for dry land and stay below until harbour. The long sleeve linen shirt goes on at anchor, when the sun reflects off the water from every side.

On Praslin the Vallée de Mai keeps a forest of coco de mer palms, whose seed is the largest in the plant kingdom, under a canopy so dense that the light on the path is green. On La Digue there are few cars; visitors hire a bicycle at the jetty and ride to Anse Source d'Argent, where granite boulders the size of houses stand in shallow water. A bicycle, a beach and a lunch of grilled fish: the Vibes linen shirt, easy and oversized, in Dubarry or Dark Blue, with linen shorts, is exactly enough.

Dinner in the Seychelles is early and outdoors, and the tone at the resorts is composed without being formal. Long trousers are expected at most tables and are a sound precaution at dusk in any case. The Bliss linen shirt in Dark Blue or Vanille, or the Monte-Carlo Male in Oatmeal with its walnut buttons, with the linen trousers and a leather sandal, is as far as it needs to go. Creole cooking is generous with chilli, ginger and coconut. A dark shirt is forgiving.

Care is uncomplicated. Salt rinses out in fresh water, the shirt dries in moving air, and the iron stays in the drawer. The Journal's general account of the islands is what to wear in the Seychelles, and the neighbouring atolls are covered in what to wear in the Maldives for men. The principle is the same across the Indian Ocean. Take less, take linen, and cover the arm at noon.

What to Wear in the Seychelles  ·  What to Wear in the Maldives: Men  ·  The PP Natural Swim Shorts Guide