Acknowledging the fact that Resort is the collection that lingers longest on store rails, Dior's latest managed a clear, clean arc from city smart to holiday luxe. The former featured neutrals made graphic with geometric banding and structured silhouettes, like the black and beige coat in double-faced wool, or the classic Bar jacket updated with a little pleated skirt. The latter was summed up by a caftan in cobalt blue mousseline, with a bodice encrusted with embroidery. That blue, along with coral, helped create a summer-in-Portofino vibe. If a resort could claim royalties for atmosphere theft, Portofino would surely be that place this season, and Slim Aarons could stake a claim too, because his photographs of the monied at play have been equally influential.
Maybe that accounted for the sixties flavor, not just in those Liz Taylor-worthy caftans and a handful of crocheted hostess gowns, but in gamine drop-waist dresses with ruffled hems, made slightly exotic with bands of sequins so tiny they looked like liquid metal. The footwear (latticed raffia flats) and accessories (big resin bracelets for stacking up the arm Nancy Cunard-style) did as much work as the clothes in conveying the collection's message.
