While New York Fashion Week this September is shaping up to be the most eventful ever, we’re not quite there yet. Before the fashion crowds return to NYC en masse and Hollywood descends upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s steps for the first of two Met Galas, there are the resort collections to see. Unlike in years past when designers have seized upon the cruise moment to present their designs in far-flung resort destinations in front of large crowds, fashion houses are still playing it safe and delivering their creations via short fashion films and inventive lookbooks. Although the digital show format is a convenient, low-key experience for those viewing from their couch, the clothes themselves have become more colorful and daring—suggesting that what wardrobes need now, more than ever, is a heavy dose of fun. Check back here often as we track the latest and most exciting looks from the cruise collections.
Alexander McQueen
The Look: A blend of feminine and masculine. Deconstructed dresses with dégradé oyster ruffles. Tailored tuxedo jackets and trousers. Corsets and fluted skirts in soft denim.
The Inspiration: The English poet, painter and printmaker William Blake who was born in London in 1757 and is considered one of the most important figures of the Romantic age.
Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Salvatore Ferragamo
The Look: Effortless wardrobe staples of denim and khaki and easy-to-wear prints.
The Inspiration: Blending Ferragamo’s rich heritage with a future-facing approach to sustainability that emphasizes both wardrobe classics as well as upcycled materials.
Salvatore Ferragamo
Salvatore Ferragamo
Givenchy
The Look: Post-industrial glamour. Zip-away half jackets, airbrushed characters and spiderwebs across clothes, accessories and Rimowa suitcases, all done by the hand of Mexican artist Chito.
The Inspiration: Creative director looked to both his “American roots and my brand new life in Paris” and focused on a sense of youthful adventure.
Givenchy
Givenchy
Stella McCartney
The Look: Psychedelic abstract logo prints, raver cargo jackets and baggy pants, scuba corsets, and sparkling slip dresses worn with or without lace biker shorts.
The Inspiration: The letter Y for Youth in McCartney’s A to Z manifesto takes shape in an homage to Y2K club kids, ravers, and cyberpunks of all ages.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Max Mara
The Look: Cashmere caftans, bomber coats, jersey dresses, strappy espadrilles and rattan bags. A sophisticated palette of geranium pinks and reds with blacks and whites.
The Inspiration: Ischia, the Italian resort destination where the runway show was held, and its elite socialite “swans” as described by Truman Capote who spent time on the island.
Max Mara
Max Mara
Moschino
The Look: Karen Elson takes the lead as a daydreaming waitress in the musical revue fantasy Lightning Strikes (which is also the title of the singer/model’s new track). The collection offers a complete diner’s menu worth of hamburgers (see skirts and bags), hotdogs (with glittery mustard on a cocktail dress), and ice cream sundaes (on prints, hats, and one cheeky bustier).
The Inspiration: “I wanted to take the excitement, the glamour, and the whimsy of all the old Hollywood musicals and use them as a vehicle to show this collection,” says Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott who directed the short film starring Karen Elson. “This season, it’s all about song and dance! And few things make me happier than when style and cinema collide.”
Moschino
Moschino
Moschino
Victoria Beckham
The Look: Languid sequin skirts, oversized sweaters, expertly cut trousers, polished pajama sets made for wearing out into the world.
The Inspiration: A desire for ease and comfort without sacrificing style. A wardrobe of classics that can be worn for any occasion.
Victoria Beckham
Christian Dior
The Look: Greek goddess gowns worn with chunky futuristic sneakers, logo-heavy activewear complete with matching gym bags, elevated track sets.
The Inspiration: Clothes that offer ease of movement and Greek history from the ancient times to now.
Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Louis Vuitton
The Look: Glittering cocktail dresses for nights out, high-waisted trousers and blouses fit for the office, and tailoring ripe for reopening.
The Inspiration: Space travel.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Balmain
The Look: Print-focused, bohemian wears with a touch of ‘90s pop star influence, for the world traveler itching to get back on a plane.
The Inspiration: Designer Olivier Rousteing’s parents’ roots in Somalia and Ethiopia, plus a trip to the exhibition “Divas, from Oum Kalthoum to Dalida” at the Arab World Institute in Paris.
Balmain
Balmain
MM6 Maison Margiela
The Look: A touch of neon here, a structured button-down shirt there, with a splash of moto and denim.
The Inspiration: French surrealism.
MM6 Maison Margiela
MM6 Maison Margiela
Anna Sui
The Look: Boho-chic meets streetwear.
The Inspiration: The designer watched the 1921 film Enchantment, then went down a rabbit hole on the furniture designer Joseph Urban.
Anna Sui
Anna Sui
Oscar de la Renta
The Look: Textiles-focused eveningwear, with an emphasis on florals.
The Inspiration: Coming to a red carpet near you.
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Zimmermann
The Look: Vacation. Period.
The Inspiration: Escapism and unadulterated joy.
Zimmermann
Zimmermann
Proenza Schouler
The Look: Cozy shearling coats, a blend of feminine and masculine silhouettes, grounded comfortable footwear, and a new classic carryall, the Dia Day bag.
The Inspiration: Ease and practicality for reemerging into the world with a polished presence and “celebrating the joy and pleasure of dressing up again,” per the collection notes.
Proenza Schouler
Proenza Schouler
Carolina Herrera
The Look: Floral and frilly party frocks, easy separates and floor-length dresses made for picnics in the park.
The Inspiration: “Travel. Friends. Dancing. I designed Resort as a wardrobe for an imaginary 24-hour getaway,” Wes Gordon said in the collection statement. “Fly with me to our favorite place. Let’s have a long lunch together on the beach. Explore town and stay up all night at a party, barefoot on the grass. Life is a celebration, and this is a collection for living life to the maximum.”
Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera
Gabriela Hearst
The Look: Lace and crochet pieces that honor the sacred geometric architecture and drawings of native peoples. Intarsia knit sweaters featuring the landscapes of Machu Picchu, Teotihuacan, Aspen, and Yellowstone. Dresses with agate embellishments. A retro patchwork suit made from deadstock denim.
The Inspiration: The Jipitecas of the ‘60s and their reverence for master craftsmanship, human rights, the cosmos and a deeper connection to the land.
Gabriela Hearst
Gabriela Hearst
Tory Burch
The Look: Comfortable, voluminous silhouettes from loose skirts to balloon hem pants. Playful polka dots, soft knit and crushed velvet dresses to be worn with easy ballet flats.
The Inspiration: “Glamour and irreverence,” Tory Burch said in the collection notes, “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
Tory Burch
Victor Glemaud
The Look: Soft, wearable, versatile but sensual knitwear (as modeled by Leyna Bloom).
The Inspiration: Practicality, the female form, classic American sportswear.
Victor Glemaud
Victor Glemaud
Chloé
The Look: Sustainable knit dresses and sneakers, circular denim that utilizes deadstock fabric, and laser-cut coats and bags—all made from carefully sourced textiles in keeping with creative director Gabriela Hearst’s mission to minimize the fashion industry’s environmental footprint.
The Inspiration: Pre-Raphaelite portraiture, the Arts and Crafts movement, romance and according to Hearst, “The fictitious but utterly delicious state of being in love.”
Chloé
Chloé
Coach
The Look: Vintage nylon skiwear and shearling coats mixed with feminine dresses and blouses, easy chain strap bags, and socks with sandals.
The Inspiration: “A sense of adventure and our hopes for tomorrow,” Stuart Vevers said in the show notes. “The experience I envisioned for our return to the runway combines all that we loved about live shows in the past with all that we’ve learned in the past year.”
Coach
Coach
Christopher John Rogers
The Look: Amazing technicolor coats, knits, and gowns in graphic patterns.
The Inspiration: Optimism and joy. Fresh off his popular collaboration with Target, Christopher John Rogers remains the designer for those looking to feel good.
Christopher John Rogers
Christopher John Rogers
Brandon Maxwell
The Look: A riot of prints made in collaboration with interior design company Voutsa and splashed across ladylike body-skimming silhouettes.
The Inspiration: The feeling of home. According to Maxwell in a press release: “The collection was ultimately a reflection of my sanctuary. The interior spaces I love spending time in are wild: saturated with prints, colors, and textures. I used this collection as a framework for revisiting ideas of comfort and luxury while upending the signatures people have come to expect.”
Brandon Maxwell
Brandon Maxwell
Chanel
The Look: A predominantly black and white color palette. Pop-punk fishnets, studs, leather fringe, crochet, and concert-ready tees featuring the model Lola Nicon.
The Inspiration: Virginie Viard drew inspiration from Provence, the film Testament of Orpheus, and letters exchanged between poet Jean Cocteau and Coco Chanel as well as the late Stella Tennant and her rebellious spirit.
Chanel
Chanel
