A cotton shirt is the most useful garment in a warm-weather case, which is a dull conclusion arrived at honestly. It works over a swimsuit, under a jumper, open as a layer and buttoned as a top. It handles a plane, a boat and a restaurant. Nothing else covers that range and nothing else recovers from being crushed in a case by simply being worn for an hour.

Weave decides how it behaves. Poplin is smooth, holds a crease and looks formal. Seersucker and crinkle finishes are designed to look rumpled, which means they never look wrong.

The eight here run $90 to $425. Flore Flore's Bes cotton bandeau at $90 and EB Denim's Eero V-neck tee at $135 are the light layering pieces. By Malene Birger's organic cotton tee is $180 and With Nothing Underneath's striped seersucker shirt at $220 is the one that never needs pressing. STAUD's Corinna is $245 and St. Agni's cotton-blend camisole is $270. Vince's short-sleeve poplin is $328 and JBQ's Ander high-low is $425.

Shorts and a shirt is the outfit this edit is really about, and it works because the proportions are opposite. A loose shirt over a fitted short, or a fitted top over a loose short. Both loose reads as pyjamas and both fitted reads as sportswear.

Length is worth being honest about. A short that sits at mid-thigh works with almost every shirt in the grid above. A very short one narrows the range to fitted tops only, which is a smaller wardrobe than it sounds when the alternative is a loose linen shirt over the top.

The eight here run $125 to $290. Negative's waffle knit short at $125 and Les Tien's Serena cotton at $145 are the softest and closest to loungewear. Adidas x Wales Bonner's football short at $150 is the sportiest and the one that needs a smarter top. ELCE's Sol knit is $160 and LA VESTE's Carambola cotton mini is $175. Agolde's Lydia drawstring at $188 and EB Denim's Portman low-rise at $195 are the denim-adjacent pair. posse's Cody short at $290 is the dressiest.

Shoes with shorts is where this outfit is decided. A sandal keeps it casual, a loafer or a ballet flat makes the same shorts read as tailoring, and the shorts themselves do not change at all.

The practical point is sock-free wear. A closed shoe in heat needs a lining that tolerates bare feet, which in practice means leather or a breathable mesh rather than a synthetic lining that turns slippery by the middle of the afternoon.

The eight here run $200 to $625. A.Emery's Clara leather sandal at $200 is the cheapest and the most casual, and STAUD's Fish Flop leather slipper is $295. Black Suede Studio's Finn suede loafers at $300 and Andrea Gomez's Dalia ballet flats at $315 are the two that smarten shorts most. Neous' Flege leather sandal is $395. Odissi's Harper raffia ballet flat at $430 is the one built for heat, Aeyde's Betty leather ballet flat is $445, and Alexandre Birman's Lia leather sandal at $625 tops the grid.