It's no secret that the beach can be as much about styling in the sand as playing in the water. here are the bare essentials for that easiest and most excellent of oceanside sports: hanging out.
First introduced during the disco era, the terry-cloth polo shirt from OP ($40; 888-673-0225, www.beckersurf.com) is back and ready for a new generation of hipsters. QUIKSILVER's Rockerfeller cotton bucket hat ($20) lets you neglect your hourly sunscreen-on-the-noggin ritual, while the leather Freeloader flip-flops ($31; 800-576-4004, www.quiksilver.com) far outclass those $5 foam-rubber jobbies. Keep track of all your downtime this summer with the SWISS ARMY XLT watch ($295; 800-442-2706, www.swissarmy.com), water-resistant to 100 meters. NAUTICA's nylon surf trunks ($40; 877-628-8422, www.nautica.com) dry fast and scream "tropical paradise," even if the closest you get is your neighborhood pool.