Plus, more from the cruise collections.

Words by Kerry Pieri, Alison S. Cohn, Carrie Goldberg, Leah Melby Clinton and Shelby Ying Hyde

Historically, designers and big houses have been known to go big with their cruise collections, throwing giant extravaganzas in far-flung locations around the globe. Though some shows have moved on from entirely virtual setups, star-studded front rows remain a dream of the past. In the meantime, designers and their teams continue to innovate the show format, a testament to the power of creativity and ingenuity. Ahead, see all the looks—the best of the resort 2022 season—that are having us count our lucky stars our airline status is extended for one more year.

Fendi

Courtesy of Fendi

Kim Jones has steadily been doing the work at Fendi to establish a fresh set of design codes and it shows. The Roman luxury brand’s latest offering is filled with a well-balanced mix of plush outerwear and soft tailoring that showcases his effortless approach to elegance.The marbled prints from Jones’ spring 2021 couture debut are reinterpreted here in kaleidoscopic color and splattered across draped midi dresses, fuzzy knit coordinate sets, and fluid velvet trenches. It’s no easy feat to find one’s voice at a house that for more than 50 years was practically synonymous with a creative director as iconic as Karl Lagerfeld, but Jones offers a strong throughline with relaxed details like umbrella sleeves and gently oversized proportions. The Karligraphy monogram—Lagerfeld’s inverted double F logo reimagined in cursive script—appears on cropped knits and denier tights offering a tribute playful to the late designer. —Shelby Ying Hyde

Givenchy

Courtesy of Givenchy

Literally and figuratively, Givenchy’s story has become one about an American in Paris. A framework we’ve been playing with for over half a century, this one is uniquely now in both character and setting. Matthew M. Williams is a millennial raised on California beaches, while today’s Paris is one whose magic touches more people than ever through our lusty sense of adventure and easy access to digital voyeurism. The merging of both viewpoints is a push-pull revealed in the mixture of soft textures and fluid fits with clunking hardware and sharp tailoring: It’s an American aesthetic with serious je ne sais quoi. Adding another dose of Cali-cool is the collaboration with Mexico-based artist Chito. Airbrushed graphics toy with past Givenchy icons—there’s an updated version of the fiercely fabulous Rottweiler for instance—while ensuring Williams leaves his own imprint on the storied house. —Leah Melby Clinton

Salvatore Ferragamo

Courtesy of Ferragamo

It’s fair to wonder if Ferragamo is using this season to rest and reset, examining the brand’s DNA and plucking out high-performing pieces to turn over and tinker with. It’s an in-between moment, with incoming CEO Marco Gobbetti not due to take the reins until the end of the year; the current collection was steered by an internal team following the blueprints left by Paul Andrew prior to his departure in April. That said, it hits the mark for refined, elevated sportswear that you’d happily have in heavy rotation. There are great leather jackets and gilets, slouchy sweaters, and skirts that are more watch than play (and upcycling, including a patchwork dress made of leather scraps). Designers often want to redefine everything, but this work proves a simple exercise in studying key definitions can be just as impactful. —Leah Melby Clinton

Max Mara

Courtesy

Travel! The cruise collections are all about it, but the irony hasn’t been lost on any of us that this is our first taste of jet-setting since early 2020—until now. Max Mara hosted one of the first post-lockdown fashion adventures, taking industry insiders and tastemakers to Italy’s most underrated destination, Ischia. Truman Capote’s Local Color was written after four months on the island, and speaks to “the golden age of travel,” and the need to truly spend time in a place to appreciate its culture, flavor, and energy. The collection served as the wardrobe for a woman summering on the Meditteranean coast, and seemed the perfect wardrobe for one of Capote’s ‘swans.’ But swans today are a bit more dynamic and complex than Capote’s; their lives aren’t all glossy and carefree. Designer Ian Griffiths tapped that nuance in his sporty silhouettes, wearable neutrals, carry-all bags, and effortless espadrilles. For those looking for a little more pop, a geranium-toned section offered a vibrancy that felt easy yet impulsive, just like a good trip should. —Carrie Goldberg

Moschino

Courtesy

Imagine if La La Land was brought to life through the lens of an Archie comic strip, with a peppering of Grease and the gloss of Blair Waldorf’s Old Hollywood dream sequences—starring Karen Elson. There’s an old-school American diner; there’s a jukebox; there’s a choreographed dance number—there’s lots of bold color. Jeremy Scott never fails to merge his cinematic inspirations and flairs for the theatrical with his seasonal offerings, and resort 2022 was no different. Interspersed with a hot dog costume, a hamburger skirt suit, sunny-side-up brooches, and a suite of ice cream sundae cocktail dresses (yes, you read all that right) were color-blocked ’40s-esque day dresses, cinched waists, comic strip and movie poster prints, and dashing suiting in ROYGBIV pinstripes and sparkle for the guys and girls. While most designers have hinted to lockdown woes or our reemergence with their clothes throughout the past year, Scott prefers nostalgia and a tongue-in-cheek whimsy that makes us smile. This season was hopeful, optimistic, and all about dress-up, whether that be in costume, for the office, your first vacation post-lockdown, or cocktail hour. —Carrie Goldberg

JW Anderson

All things young, fresh, and fun were the baseline of Jonathan Anderson’s Resort installment, which was photographed by Juergen Teller in the same vein as polaroids, It-kid Instagram shots, and selfies. The prints, textures, and color palette were vibrant, energetic, and brought a much-needed smile to one’s face after a year of solitude indoors. There was (what seemed to be) an intentional randomness to this season: bold strawberry prints, pop-toned stripes, knit vests, statement sleeves, chunky accessories, the list goes on. It’s clear that Anderson’s inner child was his best inspiration this season—and come fall, we’ll all be dressing far more brightly as a result. —Carrie Goldberg

Balmain

Courtesy

The follow up to Balmain’s 75th anniversary celebration collection is an extensive, 60 look Resort offering that honors the codes of the house in nuanced ways, but is also quite personal to Olivier Rousteing. The creative director accompanied his collection with a letter. In it, he speaks to his personal journey immortalized in a Netflix documentary, calling himself, “the orphan adopted by the loving parents in Bordeaux, the passionate fan of the films, series and music of my youth, the designer devoted to the transformative power of couture, the vrai parisien—and, now, I have learned that I am also an African.” That multi-faceted persona and a larger look at Paris as a city and a culture, and interpreting what “The New French style” (immortalized by Pierre Balmain) means was the creative starting point.

“What Josephine Baker’s J’ai deuxamours made exquisitely clear 90 years ago remains true—this city will always offer a unique and inspiring home to those in search of new possibilities,” Rousteing says. And so that inclusive spirit finds its way to new riffs on the house’ marinière look, bold graphics, modern smoking jackets, military styles and, of course, the classic six-button blazer.

“The relaxed silhouette of my own daily uniform is reflected in this collection’s distinctive SoCal-meets-Ibiza vibe, pairing takes on Laurel Canyon ‘70s chic with the dolce farniente mood of lazy summers on Mediterranean isles,” the creative director explains. And so the man and the brand are perfectly co-mingled in one of the house’s coolest collections to date.

Proenza Schouler

Pre-spring is a celebration of “the pleasure of dressing up while remaining grounded in ease and effortlessness,” according to the brand. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez make clothes for cool girls who never want to look like they tried too hard. Mission accomplished for the season. Wrap shearling coats, knit separates (an ongoing theme from the designers that feels like a gift that keeps giving), and cutout easy-t0-wear dresses comprise a collection that feels like it could make for an entirely new wardrobe. Just add fuzzy slides and get ready to reemerge into the world.

Balenciaga

Courtesy

Balenciaga delved into a concept that many of us have struggled with: What even is real anymore? In the show notes, the brand explains, “We no longer decipher between unedited and altered, genuine and counterfeit, tangible and conceptual, fact and fiction.” To illustrate that idea, Eliza Douglas, an artist who has either opened or closed every show and appeared in most campaigns for the past several years, was cast to wear every look in the collection. In a video directed by Quentin Deronzier, “Eliza appears as a series of digital clones, some of which are deepfakes, or models with Eliza’s photogrammetry-captured and CG-scanned face digitally grafted on,” the notes continue. It’s a trippy approach to confronting the questions that arise when we’re faced with a digital existence in which everything is Photoshopped and manipulated or subjected to a face-altering filter.

The collection showcases new shapes as well as products from The Hacker Project, conceptual interpretations of Gucci’s recognizable signatures as Balenciaga products. There’s a futurism at play, but the collection also honors the past and recent codes of the house—including a new take on the moto jacket. It’s a thinking woman’s approach to fashion, and a smart one at that.

Oscar de la Renta

Courtesy

Escapism, “whether a real-life getaway or a mere departure from the ordinary,” was the backbone of Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia’s pre-spring 2022 collection, which focused on pieces fit for weekends away and looks that thought outside the classic Oscar de la Renta codes. There were more casual pieces, pop-colored coats, the requisite amounts of eveningwear—and then there were looks with loads of sex appeal, like an all-embroidered sheer evening gown (pictured left). Despite a rustic inspiration from the great outdoors, this season didn’t lack in drama; gowns in electric tones of silk faille, sequin-studded eveningwear, and watercolor prints brought a boldness to Oscar de la Renta’s great escape. —Carrie Goldberg

Carolina Herrera

Tory Burch

Courtesy

“Our collection is a celebration of fantasy, conveying a renewed sense of hope, escape and, quite simply, what we want to wear when we can go out again,” Tory Burch explained. That notion translated to polka dots and leopard, a bit of lurex, taffeta pants, and silver ribbed cardigans alongside pink velvet jackets and more than one crinoline skirt. The shoes are more often than not ballerinas—perhaps as a way to ease the Tory girl back into the real world. The details are on full display here—needlepoint and contrasting buttons and paisley prints make for an uplifting re-entry point. These are capital L looks and they feel like a lot of fun.

Chloé

Courtesy

For her second collection for the storied French house, Gabriela Hearst is not sleeping on making strides in sustainability. Some notable implementations include the use of lower-impact materials like organic silk (recycled cashmere or deadstock now makes up 55 percent of the ready-to-wear line); 15 percent of the collection is being manufactured by WFTO fair trade-guaranteed members, Akanjo and Manos del Uruguay; and Made51, an initiative created by the United Nations Refugee Agency, is providing embellishment on handbag designs.

“The fictitious but utterly delicious state of being in love,” Hearst said. “I couldn’t start this journey at Chloé without love being the emotion as a driver.” Hearst looked to pre-Raphaelite portraiture and all its romantic notions for inspiration, but she also referenced a rather pragmatic moment in human history—the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the 20th century, which manifested as a response to the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution. Today, she is looking to the negative impact of climate change and the digital revolution as mirrors to the past in hopes of a new Renaissance of sorts. Sign us up in a beautifully designed trench—sustainably made, of course.

Erdem

JASON LLOYD EVANS

Quintessentially English style was the starting point for Erdem Moralioglu this season—tapping petite floral prints, mohair cardigans, satin evening gowns, and opera gloves for a collection he dubbed in the show notes an “ode to Englishness.” Showcasing the resort range in a rainy Trafalgar Square only drove that message home, as did a series of garden party-worthy looks and a suite of burgundy toile. It seems for resort, Erdem’s woman dresses for the mood of the moment—sometimes laid-back, other times outfitted to party, always effortless and, at times, embellished. At a pivotal moment when the world is slowly opening up again, Erdem is introducing a wardrobe for those slowly looking to dress up properly—be it for the office, a vacation, a wedding, or just because. —Carrie Goldberg

Coach

Courtesy

For its resort season, Coach is getting more to the point and calling it a “winter collection,” showing today in Shanghai. The runway presentation, chock-full of playful knits and great shearlings, showed alongside the most recent episode of Coach TV. The brand collaborated with Jennifer Lopez, Jeremy Lin, Yang Zi, Kōki, Xiao Wen Ju, Rickey Thompson, Ke Fan and Ding Nan, as well as writers Amber Schaefer and Yoni Lotan, and directors Danielle Nemet Aphrodite and Jason Bergh.

“Our winter collection is inspired by a sense of adventure and our hopes for tomorrow,” creative director Stuart Vevers explains. “Building on and re-representing ideas from fall, it debuts a more honest approach to seasonality whilst expressing my vision for winter, an ode to the attitude of a new generation in Shanghai.”

Thome Browne

Courtesy

Thom Browne is taking to the skies for resort—leveraging skyscapes of kites, hot-air balloons, and hector-shaped clouds on its fetching skirt suits and tailored separates. It’s prep forever from Brown, with anoraks, blazers, pleated skirts, lace-ups and loafers done in a reserved palette of mostly gray, black, and white. But that doesn’t mean that playful sensibility is lacking.

Christopher John Rogers

COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS / EMMANUEL MONSALVE

For Christopher John Rogers’ 008 collection, the brand is cementing its house codes in a way that’s familiar to the label but amped up. “It’s not anything we’ve ever done, but it’s everything we’ve always done before,” the founder and creative director of the namesake brand explained. After some serious soul searching, the label was able to narrow down what makes it distinctly CJR, and what required “fine tuning” in order to press on.

A prime example: taking its affinity of color to new heights. The lineup pushes beyond its signature standout palette by presenting its love of shades in a multifaceted way. In other words, more is more when it comes to every shade of the rainbow. Rogers also maintained his penchant for suiting, leaning in to more tailored silhouettes, while still offering some of the free-flowing shapes his clients have come to love. Each look is styled with a pair of exclusive Christian Louboutin shoes. All the better to truly make an entrance. —Shelby Ying Hyde

 

– – – – –

This article originally appeared on harpersbazaar.com