Fashion houses debut seasonal collections according to just that – the seasons – which is why we have Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections. More and more designers are making a habit out of releasing a Resort Collection (sometimes called a “cruise collection”) to fill the lull between Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. These collections hit stores around November, right after the release of Fall/Winter collections, and are mainly aimed at fashionistas who live in four-season hemispheres and travel to more tropical climates to escape the creeping cold of winter.
Because we have the good fortune of living in a country where we experience tropical weather year-round, this means that resort collections are applicable to us year-round! The idea of a resort collection was made in line with the idea of consumers who take their yacht out on vacations, which explains the holidaying mood conveyed in the outfits. Take a gander at the resort collections by these two French and Italian fashion powerhouses and let us know which outfits you’d rather take with you on your next trip to the high seas.
Chanel. This was just a simply aaaaah-mazing show of skill from Chanel. I think I prefer this collection far better than their Spring/Summer offering, and Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld has done such a spectacular job of keeping the Coco Chanel signature alive in this collection: there were plenty of clean lines, tweed, power suits, and layer upon layer of pearls!
Hair and makeup was also great, if a little bit Justin Bieber and ’80s, respectively. I do like the dramatic and androgynous side swoop of bangs, and using electric blue eyeshadow on the waterline is a great contrast to the thick cat-eye.
Bottega Veneta. If Karl Lagerfeld made the Chanel Resort Collection for people who are into cricket and cruises, Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier had weekend holidayers in mind with this collection of knee-length dresses and jumpsuits. This collection was all about prints in blues, reds, and blacks, with nothing particularly groundbreaking as far as shapes and silhouettes go–but this is not necessarily a bad thing!
They’ve brought back fringes in the form of a dress/coverall that you could slip over your bathing suit, and don’t get me started on how badly I want to get my hands on one of their bags. I’m also in love with the dress + brogues combination; it’s nice to see simple dresses paired with comfortable shoes that aren’t flats. Hair and makeup are both kept simple: faces are bare and hair let loose to reflect that low-maintenance look everyone sports during R&R.
This is basically a battle between simple sheath dresses and modish three-piece outfits. Most people are all about packing light and wearing comfortable clothing when they travel, but everything really comes down to where you’re going and who you’re going with. Both collections can easily translate to everyday wear, so I guess the difficult question remains: which looks are you more keen to duplicate in your wardrobe and why?
