‘Are you near water? No? Put some clothes on.’ Illustration: Sandra Navarro/The Guardian View image in fullscreen ‘Are you near water? No? Put some clothes on.’ Illustration: Sandra Navarro/The Guardian Social etiquette Summer etiquette: 47 essential rules – from sex to sunloungers to shopping in swimming trunks When is it OK to go shirtless? What time can you start drinking on holiday? And can you ask a stranger to apply your sunscreen? Experts explain the behaviour that’s hot this summer – and what’s really, really not
Emine Saner Tue 14 Jul 2026 06.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google S ummer means a loosening of rules and norms. Eating with your fingers is suddenly encouraged, near-nakedness is everywhere and a 6am airport pint is unremarkable. It’s a hot, sticky recipe for social chaos and – if you share my view on showing off ungroomed feet – possibly the end times of human civilisation. Here, then, is everything you need to know about summer etiquette.
When is it OK for men to go shirtless? Really only by the beach or pool. There is something perhaps stylishly louche “about walking around a seaside town shirtless, but only if you’re abroad and the temperature is hot,” says Zak Maoui, style director of men’s magazine Esquire. “I run topless in London and other cities abroad when it’s super hot; there’s nothing better. If the recent menswear shows are anything to go by, going shirtless under a suit may be back in fashion. I still am not sold, personally.”
When and where is it OK to be wrapped in a towel? Are you near water? No? Put some clothes on. “I think you need to be on the beach, by the pool, somewhere there is swimming,” says Jo Bryant, training director of etiquette training company The English Manner . Walking a short distance, say from your holiday apartment or campsite to the pool, is acceptable in a towel but nowhere else in public. “Don’t go shopping in a towel and swimming costume.”
Are shorts at work acceptable? It depends. “I would not advise shorts for business attire unless the company culture is extremely casual,” says Myka Meier, author of Modern Etiquette Made Easy . This includes smarter tailored and ironed shorts. “If your bosses are doing it, and that’s setting the company culture, then I think it’s OK, but generally speaking, avoid shorts in the office.” Maoui wears shorts at work, “but I work for a men’s fashion magazine. It really depends on your profession. A friend of mine, who works for a bank in Canary Wharf, told me recently that he was laughed at when he asked about wearing shorts.”
What about bare shoulders? Again, where do you work? “Maybe if you’re working at Vogue, but if you’re working in finance or law, then that would be a little too sexy,” says Sara Jane Ho, host of the Netflix show Mind Your Manners .
Mariah Humbert , an etiquette expert, advises keeping the rest of you more covered up. “Wear a trouser, or a longer skirt or dress. You’re being mindful of how much skin you’re showing as a whole.” Don’t think you can get away with thin straps or swimwear on a work video call. “Even if you’re home and you’re comfortable, you should still be treating the virtual call the way you would treat an in-person meeting, with the same level of professionalism and intention behind your outfit choice,” she says.
Are sandals in the office acceptable? “In more professional environments, they wouldn’t be acceptable,” says Laura Akano, an etiquette coach and founder of Polished Manners . If you…