Seasoned linen-wearers are easily identified by a formality that feels almost accidental. They’re never too tailored. That Milanese man—he considers linen his bicycling uniform. And he looks correct. Linen is made to live in, and the men who sport it look composed regardless of equatorial heat or cocktails consumed, even if they’re stepping off a plane or a boat.

This style transports you to another era altogether—the ’20s of Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Cecil Beaton, and Fred Astaire. Or the ’60sof Purple Noon, the eighties and ’90s of Polo campaigns. Yet linen, in any era, always looks totally modern. Putting on a linen sport coat might not guarantee Bryan Ferry’s flair or Hemingway’s itinerary, but it makes anyone look more worldly. We assume a graceful character and an afternoon spent somewhere worthwhile with the hum of Vespas in the distance.

I’ll never forget Sebastian Flyte’s wardrobe when Brideshead Revisited descended upon Venice. How could a three-piece linen suit look so … relaxed? And in ivory? It seemed as natural as a Vaporetto floating by, an inherent feature of the landscape. As did the linen shirts and jackets on Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf (and even Marge!). The return of Ripley reminds us that stone-hued jackets, side-tabbed trousers, and camp collars worn with espadrilles are a strong formula, at least to my eye.

In late August, I’ll look for leading men in linen at the Venice Film Festival—hoping to see a hint of Gary Cooper’s mastery. But what’s more appealing is Venice’s locals-only festival, the Floating Cinema, which occurs around the same time. Each night for two weeks, gondoliers and Venetians row or motor out to watch films projected on floating screens in the lagoon. Every year I go to Venice, I stay in Dorsoduro to see the wooden skulls and locals strolling by the Bucintoro Rowing Society sporting loose, tailored trousers and jackets. Every time I put my ivory linen blazer on the moment comes back to me.

With the Summer Olympics on the horizon, it’s also worth recalling the last time the games were held in Paris, in 1924. The well-documented style from that time—high-waisted shorts to make the mad dash across the finish line; unstructured blazers to take the podium—is remarkably current; anyone would be hard-pressed to place a date on these photographs. There’s a reason why film stills from Chariots of Fire hold court on many mood boards. But the real thing is always better.

So, let Leonard Cohen in Hydra inspire what you wear this summer on your holiday or in the office. The chicest approach is tonal. Head-to-toe browns, navy, olive drab, or ivory linen (see this season’s Polo capsule collection) will literally take you anywhere. Don’t be afraid to wear it in. I myself take it a few steps further than that: When it comes to linen suits, I wear them year-round. Good linen has a bit of weight, and it’s warmer in the winter than you might think. People are always surprised that my chocolate linen suit is the same one they saw last summer. But if there’s one thing linen’s given me, it’s the confidence of being relaxed with yourself. And that’s a quality that’s always in season.