Vogue's wedding dress-code guide has a short section for invitations that say "tropical", and it is the clearest definition I have found: the modifier "often calls for colorful shades or bold, floral-inspired prints." Its example is practical. Choosing between a black dress and an orange one for a tropical affair, Vogue says, take the orange.

That is the whole tropical chic dress code in one line. The polish is the part that keeps it from being a luau: the print is bold, but the cut is clean, the fabric is good, and the shoes and bag mean it. Elle's stylists add a useful warning, which is to lean into the theme without cosplaying, so one or two strong elements and nothing that looks like a souvenir. It is October, and the invitations for winter weddings and island trips are already landing, so this is the right month to sort it out.

Maxi dresses are the easiest place to begin, and the FARM Rio Blue Banana Grapes dress is the one I would look at first: a sleeveless maxi in blues and greens with a back keyhole, loud in the way the code wants. FARM Rio began in 1997 with Kátia Barros and Marcello Bastos selling colorful prints at an independent fashion market in Rio de Janeiro, which tells you the print is the point. For a calmer evening, I would take the Aracati square-neck maxi, or the Johanna Ortiz cotton-voile maxi, which keeps a tropical print light and floaty. The Coniglio Worth in pink palms has flutter sleeves, and the Agua Bendita Indira is a halter for anyone who wants bare shoulders at dinner.

Practical test: hold the hem against the shoes you plan to wear, then walk up a flight of stairs in it. If you are gathering fabric in your fist, it is the wrong length for a terrace or a boardwalk.

Linen wrinkles, and at a tropical wedding that is fine, as long as it wrinkles on purpose. A dress in a print or an embroidered trim wears its creases better than a plain one, which is why this group leans on pattern.

The FARM Rio Pink Richelieu slip is the quietest of them: light pink Euroflax linen, a sweetheart neckline and Richelieu embroidery, a good pick for a candlelit dinner. The Zimmermann Roselight has a plunging neck and embroidered trim on pale blue floral linen, so it is the dressier one. STAUD's Ayla puts a red seahorse print on cream, and Alémais' Boathouse Ballet sundress is orange with tie shoulders and a palm-leaf border, which is exactly the orange-over-black idea from Vogue. Ulla Johnson's Marin is cotton with a tiered skirt and ruffled shoulders, and the Johanna Ortiz poplin midi has a bold resort print on a sharper fabric.

Before you buy, scrunch a corner of the skirt in your hand for ten seconds. If it comes back looking lived in, good. If it stays in a hard crease, the evening will be a long one. I would also check the straps on the La Maregold Sammy and the STAUD, because thin straps and a heavy bag on one shoulder do not get along.

What I would skip: a solid white or cream linen with no print, since a tropical wedding photographs a lot of white already.

Lilly Pulitzer's own history page is headed "Creating Sunshine Since 1959" and says the brand marked "the beginning of American Resort Wear." Chanel got there earlier: Vogue reports that Coco Chanel was the first designer to make vacation clothes for wealthy clients, in Deauville in 1919, with the first croisiere collections in the late 1920s. A matching set is the modern version of the same idea, an outfit that is finished before you leave the room.

The easiest sets are shirts with matching bottoms sold separately. Zimmermann's Indra silk shirt in khaki scarf floral has Indra shorts in the same print, Alémais' Ace silk shirt pairs with the tapered Ace pants, and La DoubleJ's Foulard shirt in red and burgundy has Club Pants to match. For a full set, I would go to the FARM Rio mystical blue crop blouse and slip skirt, or the Lilly Pulitzer Annaleese top and Sanders maxi skirt in the zoo print. Cleobella's Ruby smocked bandeau with a white midi skirt is the softest option, and Seven Wonders' Sachi halter wrap in orange and yellow matches its Mirage wide-leg pant.

The test is whether each piece works alone. Wear the silk shirt open over a plain slip and it still looks planned. The Lilly Noor top and shorts in lime is the one I would save for a daytime welcome party rather than the main event.

What I would skip: the shorts set for a formal evening, even in silk.

Raffia reads as dressy when it is paired with something in the same family of warmth: tan leather, gold, a little sheen. Sandals are the place to do it, because an evening in the tropics means a terrace or a lawn, and a stiletto will not cope with either.

The flat options are the nicest surprise. Aquazzura's Serenade raffia flat has a sculptural strap, Ancient Greek Sandals' Daphnae is the handcrafted-looking one, and Tory Burch's Mellow slip-on mixes raffia with leather and a logo. STAUD has two: the Fish thong in leather and raffia, and the Mara slide in tabac leather with braided straps and scalloped trim. For a little height I would pick the Larroudé Dolly X, a raffia platform on a block heel with an ankle strap, or the Dolce Vita Glynda, a raffia kitten-heel mule with a square open toe. The Loeffler Randall Nico is a footbed slide with two woven straps, the easiest one to pack.

Before you commit, put a hand inside and run it along the strap edges, because raffia can be scratchy on the foot. Stand on a doormat or a patch of grass if you can, to see how the heel behaves.

What I would skip: a pointed stiletto for a beach ceremony, and any pair you have not walked a block in first.

A woven bag does most of the talking at a tropical wedding, so the dress can keep it simple. Pick the bag first if your dress is wild, and the earrings first if your dress is plain.

The FARM Rio Raffia Shoulder Flower bag is made of layered petal-like raffia, and it is a conversation starter. Poolside Bags' Capri tote in tomato stripes is bright and big enough for a wrap and sunscreen. The Hunting Season Lattice basket tote has leather trim and top handles, the SIMONMILLER Lopsy has a knotted handle in natural fiber, and the Ulla Johnson Marina is a scalloped raffia shoulder bag with a leather strap and a bow, the dressiest of the group.

For earrings, I would reach for the Cult Gaia Yusra, which has two irregular teal stones in a gold-tone finish, or the Sloane, a chandelier shape with sand-colored resin stones. Lele Sadoughi's Floral Double Drop studs are cream flowers with pearl and crystal centers, soft against a bold print.

Test the straps and handles on the shoulder you will actually carry on, and try the earrings with your hair up. Heavy drops that pull on the lobe are a bad idea for four hours of dancing.

What I would skip: a bag and earrings that both shout. One loud piece is plenty.

I would choose in a specific order: the dress or set first, then the sandals, then the bag, then the earrings last. Pick the print you love, check the hem, and walk around in the shoes.

For a dinner on a terrace, I would wear a linen midi with a flat raffia sandal and a small woven bag. For the main event, a maxi in a bold print and a little heel. Keep one element quiet. If the wedding is in an Italian church instead of on an island, the rules change, and I wrote those up in what to wear to a wedding in Italy.

And if the invitation still leaves you unsure, go back to Vogue's line: orange over black. It has not failed me yet, at least on paper.