From budgie-smugglers to nothing at all: our writers on what they wear to the beach

For some it’s kaftans, for others straw hats, and painted toenails are apparently mandatory. Guardian journalists explain their rules for summer dressing

Perhaps the very last time I gave even the most fleeting thought to beachwear was exactly 10 years ago, during a family summer holiday to France. We weren’t on the beach but in a municipal pool, for an afternoon of splashing around with my two kids, then aged six and three.