What you need is a couple of interchangeable basics and some fun accessories to prevent travelling-wardrobe boredom. Start with a good dress that you can roll up and shove in your bag. A crinkle linen peach dress by Boden (£55, boden.co.uk) will look nice with a tan, can be layered over a long-sleeve T-shirt on cool nights and doesn't require an iron to look good.

Another useful basic is a pair of jersey palazzo pants. Comfortable, easy to pack and able to be dressed up or down, The Pyjama Room (pyjamaroom.com) has just what you need. They are available in aqua, pale pink, brown and black for £70.

Generally avoid taking too many whites as they'll just get mucky on the open road. Go for a darker colour that won't need washing so often. Look for vests and T-shirts in sage greens, oranges and maybe pinks - Marks&Spencer has plenty to choose from.

Make sure that you pack a loose kaftan dress, too. Zara has a lovely one in printed purples and greens (£39.90, zara.com) that you can wear over your swimsuit on the beach or with the palazzo pants in the evening - as far as possible, your clothes need to be multifunctional.

A perfect holiday outfit

I am going on a motorcycle holiday to France and have very little packing space. How do I look chic and crease-free for three weeks? I am 57 and a size 14.

BACKGROUND

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• A perfect holiday outfit

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Perhaps think about throwing in a pair of lightweight jeans too. Uniqlo is a great place for reasonably priced denim: it currently has a slim anklet style (£19, uniqlo.co.uk ) that won't flap around while you're on the bike and will look nice with flat leather sandals, which you can find at naot.co.uk.

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