The return of the Resort aesthetic

There was a time when the créme of Western society met, every summer and every winter, in a series of exclusive locations that became, with the passage of time, the main poles of international luxury tourism. The ladies of New York high society packed their light dresses and sandals to stroll along the French and Italian waterfronts, the Parisian and English aristocracy embarked on cruises on the Nile or flew to their villas in Jamaica. On all these occasions, luxury clients would have dresses made (or, decades later, go boutique shopping) that were slightly more informal than those worn on big city occasions but still elegant and sophisticated - thus the Resort/Cruise collections were born. It was precisely that Mediterranean aesthetic that was reclaimed by Camille Micieli for Emilio Pucci's grand re-launch in Capri two days ago, which saw a plethora of international guests sunbathing on the rocks, dancing late into the night, drinking wine eating fish risotto and living the dolce vita in every conceivable way. And even though some voices were raised to protest against the hyper-stereotyped vision of the Italian beach life (we challenge any Italian not to roll their eyes at the first notes of Volare or the sound of tambourines played for the various influencers) the Emilio Pucci event seemed to be an official announcement to the whole world: the Resort aesthetic is back.

When we talk about Resort aesthetics, we cannot but talk about elitism. If the world of ready-to-wear is, on the whole, an urban world, the world of the Resort is always connected to the idea of the luxury vacation, of the hotel with a spectacular view of the sea, of the plate of fresh scampi fished three hours before - it is precisely the world of the Resort collections that expresses the most opulent side of the lifestyle connected to fashion. And it is no coincidence that, for example, every spring there are announcements of new seasonal boutiques opening in Capri, Mykonos, Forte dei Marmi, Porto Montenegro - the most recent being that of Chanel in Bodrum, the Turkish seaside town where Abramovich goes on vacation, and that of Dior in Dubai. Matches Fashion, on the other hand, has entered into a partnership with Pellicano Hotels Group for a series of activations that will touch Florence, Naples and Ischia during the summer.

Even Vogue Italia, on the occasion of Easter, took its readers into the midst of Neapolitan Easter through Sebastian Delgado's takeover. According to Euromonitor, quoted by BoF, the swimwear market is expected to touch 22 billion this year while many brands have started selling beach accessories (straw hats and bags, sandals, beach towels) at slightly more affordable prices than their first lines, thus reaching both regular customers and new audiences, while, for example, Loewe has been tightening its relationship with Paula's Ibiza over the years to the point of acquiring its archives and making it a sort of unofficial sub-label. 

Demand for "vacation" fashion seems to be rising very quickly - a natural consequence of the return of tourism after the pandemic. According to Allianz, for example, U.S. travel to Europe this summer will increase by 600%, while Expedia's CEO told Bloomberg last February that this summer will be "the busiest travel season ever." During the years of the pandemic, then, the collective imagination has returned to dwell on the scenarios of the Mediterranean and the search for a new authenticity, decreeing the enormous success on social media of Jacquemus, promoter of a rural/provençal aesthetic, and that of @italysegreta that has defined in its many posts the relaxed-but-chic summer mood that has made many dream of an Italian vacation. The fashion world has not remained deaf to these changes in consumer habits - and this summer we can expect a comeback in style from the glossy world of resort aesthetics.