The Highlights of This Year's Resort Collections
Fashion

The Highlights of This Year's Resort Collections

Resort season is upon us, the first notion of a post-pandemic travel season being reflected among design houses' collections. While many labels looked inward for the previous year's inspiration, designers looked outwards at the world for the Resort 2022 season. Signaling a change back into the open arms of carefree vacations and endless summers, light fabrics and woven textiles are staples among most brands showing.

In typical escapism form, far-flung locale motifs and tropical scenes are integral to the relaxed vibe typically found within Resort (a.k.a. Cruise) lookbooks. For most designers, the only thing left is to pack your bags, hop on a plane, and go. We've rounded up the most eye-catching Resort 2022 collections below.

Karen Elson Stars in Moschino's Dance Musical

Courtesy of Moschino

Only Jeremy Scott can make summer barbecue food look sexy. The American designer delivers both Women's Resort 2022 and Menswear Spring/Summer 2022 in the form of a multi-hued musical fantasy complete with matching costumes and choreographed dance numbers.

Starring friend of the house Karen Elson, Lightning Strikes: The Moschino Musical hones in on what Scott does best – a whimsical, playful exploration of pop-culture and camp.The short vignette, shot by the Creative Director himself, showcases both collections seamlessly in the wild. The collection, a dreamy ode to Hollywood and cinema, is full of excitement and glamour, fusing traditional showtime elements of glitter, metallics, and tassels with wearable mini-skirts and button-down cardigans. Set partially in an old-timey diner, hamburger fascinators and jukebox purses add retro styling elements throughout the lookbook shot at the legendary Universal Studios backlots.

Mens looks are complete with pinstripe suits and fedoras in a variety of colors, while a hot-pink glitter suit adorned with stars serves as a delightful centerpiece.For all the mukbang queens out there, may we suggest a full-length hot dog costume embellished with sequined mustard for your next video? In Moschino's world, it's all the rage.

Dior's Grecian Vision For A Female-Fronted Future

Courtesy of Dior

For Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, her upmost concern has always been about the woman – her power, her strength, her femininity. For Resort 2022, Chiuri has once again payed homage to the women that have come before her, inspired by a female-ensemble of Greek gods. Dior's angelic vision of the classical culture isn't new, Chiuri previously playing with the concept during the maison's Spring 2020 haute couture collection.

Consistent with both the brand's vision and her longtime direction at Dior, Chiuri's dream for a woman-led future touches all aspects of the Resort collection. Models posing as Greek gods to be admired are draped in white silk gowns make rounds throughout the Olympian theatre. Mini-dresses emblazoned with Grecian warrior motifs and gold accessories also reimagine the classics in the feminine form. Sharply-tailored power suits add to the chorus of white bodies, cut in statuesque silhouettes. For the more casual buyer, star-speckled sportswear and best-selling Book Totes in new patterns are certainly TSA-approved for the vacations to come.

Swans, sacred birds in Grecian epics and mythology, have their fashion moment. Grazia makes a callback to her own design from Valentino Spring/Summer 2014 Couture, a look reminiscent of the iconic Swan Dress worn by Björk on the Oscars' red carpet. Petition for our Icelandic queen to wear the updated version, please.

Below, a bonus clip of Dior's VIP arrivals including Cara Delevingne and Anya Taylor-Joy.

Versace's Trippy Pop-Bright Twins

Courtesy of Versace

Creative Director Donatella Versace is ready to leave behind the darkness of the past year. Toying with an unbridled sense of optimism that the industry and wider society is currently experiencing, Versace reworked classic motifs and silhouettes while also referencing the future for Resort 2022. The Italian house — who just released a new "Greca" monogram last season — continued their exploration of graphic motifs through distorted Medusa heads and playful prints that blend into each other, many of which were seen on complementary "couple" or twinning looks.

'70s inspired t-shirts with "Love, Versace, Medusa" emboldened in bubbly fonts continued Versace's focus on reinterpreting nostalgic elements for a post-pandemic wardrobe. The brand's signature aesthetic was of course carried over to the styling — bold shoulder bags, towering boots, and must-have tights effortlessly complimented the psychedelic-inspired garments. The collection's menswear was equally as daring and vacation-ready — the graphic button-down shirts are destined to be a summer hit. Playful pleats and oversized psychedelic puffers highlighted Versace's knack for creating a sartorial conversation that pushes the traditional boundaries of menswear.

"I think there's a renewed sense of optimism right now and I wanted this collection to speak to that. This season is about having fun with fashion again and it feels right to put something positive into the world." Versace explained. "We will never return to the old world or to the old 'normal,' there's no going backwards. This is what the new now looks like to me."

R13’s Grunge Love Story

PHOTO: MARIE TOMANOVA/MASATO ONODA

R13's Resort 2022 collection was a compelling love story told through the lens of Kate Vitamin and Odie Marie. The couple modeled the grunge-inspired collection with their New York apartment serving as a welcomed backdrop. Creative Director Chris Leba took a decidedly hands off approach for the collection, entrusting that the distinct aesthetic of the couple would fit well within the DNA of R13. Nirvana graphic tees, oversized knitwear, and layered basics stole the show clothing-wise. The DIY grunge aesthetic was felt throughout with details like frayed hems and dirtied denim. Though the ready-to-wear certainly fit well within the aesthetic vision of R13, the standout was the love story between Kate and Odie. Whether it be intimately posing in their tiled shower or lounging on their crushed velvet sofa, the couple's grunge-filled love affair exemplifies the ethos of R13.

Louis Vuitton's Space Exploration in an Architectural Park

Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Kicking off a series of Resort shows stretched across the globe in far-flung destinations, Louis Vuitton's latest addition to the Cruise calendar feels close to home: less than 40 kilometers outside of it, in fact. The French maison showcased its Resort 2022 collection at the architectural landmark Axe Majeur, both a physical and metaphorical path forward after tragedy and chaos last year.

Multi-colored, bubble-hem dresses and fur mini skirts added a touch of playful romanticism to the 45-look space-inflected lineup. Bold, geometric patterns emphasizing color and symmetry made their way through coordinated sets and oversized shift dresses. For Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière, the world is back in all its technicolor glory, bursting at the seams of creativity and openness post-pandemic.

"A collection of proud, positive looks that advance straight ahead, serenely," Ghesquière explained in the collection's show notes. "They are the picture of harmony in an environment that is so close and yet so far away, borderless and open to adventure.

Oscar de la Renta's Garden Flower Fest

Courtesy of Oscar de la Renta

The Oscar woman has spent almost a year without the fancy luncheons, galas and charity balls where she's usually a fixture — and by extension, her wardrobe of ODLR gowns and eveningwear hasn't been as ubiquitous as they once were on the social circuit. But with special events finally on the horizon and many cities finally eliminating COVID restrictions, the brand is top-of-mind again for women looking to feel glamorous again.

For Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, there were two main starting points: floral prints taken from York Wu of Poshan flowers superimposed on garden landscapes by Miranda Brooks, and an image of Ugo Rondinone'sstacked Nevada boulders (Seven Magic Mountains) which inspired the neon and saturated colorways of evening and daywear including citrine, sky blue, emerald, and fuchsia ombré. Standouts include the dresses with metallic sequins in copper, silver and gold that are hand-applied over sheer organza.

MM6 Maison Margiela's Twisted "Avant-Premiere" Forms

Courtesy of MM6 Maison Margiela

Sharp tailoring found in every garment exudes feminine power and stability brought about by the team at MM6 Maison Margiela. This season, the group of designers took inspiration from the work of French Surrealist artists which translated to fun and abstract motifs like trompe l'oeil hair shirts and oversized knits printed with photographs of the MM6 studio, all of which emphasized the power of collective thinking and teamwork. Deconstruction with an avant-garde twist is often a staple of the label, this time with masterfully manipulated frayed edges on blouses trousers layered with trousers that are ripped open to explore movement and flexibility. For the hot girls, slinky leather pants and jackets dyed in a fluorescent orange pack a fabulous punch.