FT NEWS

This summer, European luxury houses refrained from their usual extravagant cruise resort shows. Resort is traditionally a very profitable and important season for many designers. Resort wear hits the shelves in October and remains relevant till June. The concept, which started as a capsule collection in pre-World War II Europe for the privileged jet-set who took holidays in the winter to escape the cold, has now evolved into a major part of the fashion ecosystem. These collections allowed you to escape in style—whether you choose to travel or not—by adding a feel of ease and joy into a wardrobe.

The pandemic has further elevated resort from being the playground of high fashion and niche labels to mainstream fashion. Resort is now part of our everyday dressing. Rating high on wearability, it makes a responsible addition to the wardrobe. “Resort styles tend to be the most versatile ones in a wardrobe. Contrary to its location-specific name, it passages in everyday wardrobes. With the pandemic pushing people homewards, these silhouettes saw a new light outside the realm of holidays” says Narresh Kukreja, creative director of resort wear label Shivan & Narresh. One of the functions of fashion is to provide women with clothes that allow them to escape from the mundane, as British designer Alice Temperley adds, “Clothes can transport you to another place, another era, and should never be boring.”

During lockdown, many international fashion designers spent time in second homes, or rented a holiday home and used the forced pause as a time to reset. In India, Payal Khandwala has been in her Alibaug home, where Verandah's Anjali Patel Mehta also spent most of the lockdown, and Masaba Gupta took a break in Goa, while designers Shivan & Narresh went on a road trip. These experiences are bound to influence collections, but the main reason for resort wear going mainstream is that its silhouettes make sense for now—kaftans, kimonos, slip dresses and easy overlays—it is almost the capsule wardrobe made for current times.

The new normal of socially-distanced fashion week kicked off in New York a couple of weeks ago, with Jason Wu’s showcase. The collection was filled with contemporary pieces inspired by the Caribbean coastline town of Tulum, a place that is Wu’s home away from home. The lineup had a feeling of escapism, yet could be worn at home or dressed up to wear for an intimate evening soirée. It included Bermuda shorts, maxi dresses with pockets and broderie anglaise—all signatures features of resort wear collection (and there was not one tracksuit). A joyous, hopeful and escapist style of dressing. A theme that continued in many collections of independent fashion labels who participated in the present season of fashion weeks.

At London Fashion Week, Alice Temperley, who known for her party dresses, referenced both kaftans and kimonos in her spring/summer 2021 collections. Says the designer, “After the pandemic, everyone in the office is going to have to make extra effort, wear their finest pieces to work. During lockdown I launched a whole new lounge wear collection, which will be available in November 2020. It includes kaftans, slip dresses, pyjamas and kimonos and will be a core part of our business going forward.” It seems resort dressing is no longer reserved for when we go on holidays. Etro's offering for this season was a virtual lesson on how beach coverups, crop top shirts and rope sandals can be a part of your daily dress routine.

Resort wear is so much more than garments, it is an attitude. As we learn to coexist with COVID-19, resort wear seems to be the perfect anecdote for the these times of upheaval and turbulence. This is the new nine-to-nine dressing, especially if you live in a country with warmer temperatures. 

Singapore-based designer Nikasha Tawadey's label Nikasha is known for its use of bold vibrant colours, often featuring silhouettes of dhoti pants, languid ruffled lehengas, beach-ready tunics in all collections, be it bridal or ready to wear. The designer believes that the pandemic has made us all more aware of our relationship with Mother Earth, and that is the reason for the rise of resort wear. “I feel the artists and designers are picking up cues from the universe, understanding the damage that’s been done and are creating from the inspiration of being closer to nature.  This is being seen in collections across the world and therefore resort is more than ever tied in with a new world consciousness,” she says. There is no question that this pandemic has been a tipping point for the industry, and now it needs to be more responsible in its approach to design.

And while travel plans continue be in a state of limbo, you can still dress up for a holiday, and escape to your favourite destination from the comfort of your own home.