Peter Florence's brain child asks for no dress code or ticket to secure attendance. Held in 'The Town of Books', Hay-on-Wye, Hay has been a part of British Culture since the late eighties. Although we wouldn't go quite as far as Tony Benn and claim that it's replaced Christmas in our hearts, we're more than happy to offer these tentative suggestions for your wardrobe should you be attending; after all, where else can you crack out a waistcoat without the presence of a top hat or wedding band? All can (and should) be paired with ruffled hair and a far-reaching, writer's gaze.
The soul of a writer and the pockets of a banker
I haven't mixed navy and 'gold' (the word my school mistakingly used to refer to our egg-yolk blouses) since I was no longer required to, but this combination is certainly a winner for that its-summer-but-will-likely-rain look.
'It's for Hay, mother. I can't wear my new Jayjee double-breasted silk.' No, you certainly cant, and this wonderfully-British alternative is just the ticket. If you're searching for flare, find it in your accessories; the peak of a bold pocket square or a colourful sock will brighten up your outfit even on a rainy day. Watch out for Friday.
Navy-and-brown Nehru waistcoat, £195, Sir Plus, www.sirplus.co.uk; Gold retro pocket square, £65, Turnbull & Asser, www.turnbullandasser.co.uk; mustard wide-rib socks, £12, Sir Plus www.sirplus.co.uk
Surely you already have a picnic blanket...
A linen shirt is a must for all summer events; if you don't have one already, add this one to your wardrobe now.
Similarly, if you're looking to invest in a decent watch, Bremont's armed forces collection is the way to go. Designed to appeal to military personnel and civilians alike, the collection comes from a collaboration with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Bremont is the sole luxury watch producer allowed to legitimately use the signs, symbols and Heraldic Badges of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Understandably, they sell quickly; preorders are now open for Broadsword, the Army-inspired watch, as well as the Arrow and the Argonaut.
Blue shirt, £160, Frescobol Carioca, www.frescobolcarioca.com; Broadsword watch, £2,595, Bremont, www.bremont.com
Live life for the accessories
Let's face it: who among us hasn't considered buying fake-lens glasses to look smarter?
Waxed-cotton handweave belt, £100, Elliot Rhodes, www.elliotrhodes.com; Imperial blue glasses, from £320, C. W. Dixey & Son, www.cwdixeyandson.com; Small horn pocket comb, £10, Truefitt & Hill, www.truefittandhill.co.uk; Novel Ideas notebook, £65, Smythson, www.smythson.com; Bond pencil case, £165, Smythson www.smythson.com
These shoes were made for lounging
Who am I kidding; you have a pair of brown shoes or an old pair of Timberlands; just give them a brush up. If by some slim chance you don't, these are as good as any for sitting under a tree with a book, enjoying the brief period of sunshine between precisely 11:45am and 12:30pm.
Leo shoes, £445, Tricker’s, www.trickers.com
If you purchased this entire week's shopping list you would've spent £1,377 and if you're wondering where to buy a new picnic blanket, turn your mind to the last place you saw the one you surely already own. We're sure it'll turn up somewhere.
Credit: Leo Acker/Country Life Picture Library
The Utterly Inessential Chelsea Shopping List: What you'll need for the famed Flower Show, from chic sunglasses to an obligatory brolly
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to
Credit: Getty
An economist's blueprint for the countryside that ditches 'flawed romanticism', but still offers hope
Dieter Helm's latest book, Green and Prosperous Land, offers a radical blueprint for rescuing the British countryside. Clive Aslet takes
Curious Questions: How do you survive the Summer Season?
Potential faux pas abound in a British summer, but is it possible to find your way through to September unscathed?
-
'One of the finest houses in Cheshire' blends Georgian architecture, modern exoticism and space to park your helicopterPenny Churchill looks inside Stretton Hall, an exceptional house for sale
-
Marilyn, maraschino cherries and classic movie musicals await you in Country Life's Quiz of the Day, August 29, 2025Friday's quiz puts your cocktail knowledge to the test.
-
'You have to work hand in hand with the author — like a dancer has to work with the music': Illustrating Homer's epic poemsArtist Clive Hicks-Jenkins, faced with the colossal challenge of illustrating Homer's 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey', eschewed grandstand views of monumental battles, looking instead for what he calls the little cracks in the paving stones.
-
‘They remain, really, the property of all of those who love them, know them, and tell them. They are our stories, the inheritance of the people of Scotland’: The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales -
‘The perfect hostess, he called her’: A five minute guide to Virgina Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’To mark its centenary, Lotte Brundle delves into the lauded writer’s strange and poignant classic, set across a single summer’s day in 1920’s London.
-
The five minute guide to 'The Great Gatsby', a century on from its publication'The Great Gatsby' sold poorly the year it was published, but, in the following century, it went on to become a cornerstone of world literature.
-
When London was beginning to establish itself as modern cultural powerhouse: The 1980s according to David BaileyIn his new book ‘Eighties Bailey’, ‘era-defining’ photographer David Bailey explores a time when London and the UK were at the centre of the fashion, art and publishing worlds.
-
The life and times of P. G. Wodehouse, 50 years on from his deathBertie Wooster, Jeeves, Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set: P. G. Wodehouse’s creations made him one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century, but he was denounced as a traitor and a Nazi.
-
Seven perfect Christmas gifts for people who just love beautiful, functional thingsWilliam Morris famously said to have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. These things do their best to hit both targets.
-
Christmas gift ideas for menFrom fathers to brothers to lovers, we run through some smart ideas for Christmas presents for the men in your life.
