The season for lazy afternoons on the beach has arrived. Whether the time on the towel is used to recover from the night before or to relax after a bitterly-disputed beach volleyball match, your towel should no longer have a giant portrait of Droopy in swimming trunks. The choice of beach towel(s) is difficult as there is a limited range.

And don’t say “I don’t have the time to buy one before the holiday, I’ll buy one when I’m there,” as you’re tempting disaster and you risk finding yourself on a towel with a dolphin with a wry smile jumping out of the water.

You need to take the initiative immediately. That’s why I’m showing you a range of towels to match with your finest shorts (I remind you, if need be, that Speedos are banned!)

Towel with message (€28 from Scirius)

Benetton butterfly towel (€45 from Grandes marques)

Sporty towel (€24.90 from Dress for less)

The Emmanuel Ungaro designer towel, perfect for wearing around your waist (€89 from Grandes marques)

Find Tony’s advice on his site, Fenêtre sur papillon

Flip-flops are the essential accessory for holidays. These are from Paul Frank, with his famous ape, Julius.

I’ll take the occasion to tell you that you can see all our holiday selections by clicking on the tag beach

€15 from Novoidplus

Let’s break out the sunglasses again, this time with a pair from Von Zipper. Founded in 1999 in California, VZ specializes in extreme sports eyewear, such as snowboarding masks.

My favorite: the Stache in red, white and blue! They do the same style in 4 other colours: black, white, red and tortoiseshell.

The frame is relatively lightweight (31g), and made of Polycarbonate. The lenses, category 3, are slightly reflective, which offers better protection, but they aren’t polarized.

Technically, these Von Zippers are nothing special but they’re a nice product, at a reasonable price. Perfect, for example, for special pair of sunglasses in addition to an everyday pair!

sale: $109.99 from Amazon