Runways this summer are stamped with the label ‘2024 Resort,’ but what exactly does this mean? In this article, I will uncover where this trend comes from and what it means for your wardrobe and the fashion industry.
The Love Child of Globalization and Fashion
Designer fashion has always had a soft spot for vacation-inspired trends such as ‘destination dressing‘. This inclination towards designs that allow the consumer to imagine their next escape is not unique to the ‘2024 Resort’ pieces we are seeing on the runway right now. Instead, it is the timing of these designs that makes this new trend so interesting.
Thanks to technological advances, the fashion industry has become global as it is now accessible to consumers with different climates and lifestyles all over the globe. This globalization of the industry means that fashion brands must change their seasonal focus and create collections that can represent as many lifestyles as possible. The latest solution to this creative dilemma is the ‘resort’ aesthetic.
As argued by the founder and editor of Regard Magazine, Dimitri Loiseau, resort collections provide evidence of a brand’s ability to adapt to changing fashion seasons. One of the best examples is Emilio Pucci, who ditched the traditional two-season release replacing it with a single all-year-round ‘resort’ collection.
‘Resort’ alludes to the persona we embody when we are on holiday, a new individual with each surrounding, weather, and of course, outfit. Hence, by producing ‘resort’ designs, fashion brands are able to create pieces for different lifestyles all across the globe.
Styling for Vacationing
When on holiday, we use fashion to embody the character we wish to become in that particular time and place. For instance, when vacationing in Greece, we would wear white dresses or linen pants and shirts. Whilst in Paris or Milan, our suitcases would be packed with sophisticated black and white pieces to fit in with the chic style of these cities.
This tendency makes the 2024 ‘resort’ aesthetic the perfect inspiration for the future collections of top-tier fashion brands as with each runway setting designers can let their imagination loose, dragging the audience with them on a creative journey of possibility. They can inspire you to dream about your next holiday, or even better, your next identity.
Fashion and escapism have always been loosely tied together, but with 2024 ‘resort’ collections, fashion becomes a creative portal through which one can become anyone at any time, in any place.
‘Eternal Holidays’ The Social Media Illusion
Escapism and the creation of an alter ego are now accentuated by the character we play on social media. We use our social media to market ourselves, and this is reflected in the way in which we purchase fashion today.
As mentioned, the ‘resort’ trend focuses on providing an outfit or aesthetic for each of our holiday destinations and their respective characters which come with their own lifestyle and personality. Yet, if social media did not have such a powerful presence in our lives, there might not be such an obsession with the perfect polishing of these holiday identities.
Every holiday nowadays has its own post or set of posts on our social media. From its own Instagram Story highlight, the VSCO collection, to its own TikTok series.
Hence, in a way, our desire to go on holiday is not only a form of reset and relaxation but rather a performance that comes with its own character. And as shown by Barbie, the way in which we create these identities is through fashion.
In this manner, the reasons behind our fashion purchases have become more and more social media-focused. We no longer seek comfort unless it fits in with a trend like ‘airport casual.’ Instead, we seek an aesthetic – an outfit that will look good in the photos and videos we took in a specific location. We dress for the world, not for ourselves.
A Trend Full of Grey Areas?
Although it is clear that designers are noticing social media’s influence and using it to help market their products, their role as artists is stronger than ever.
Fitting in with an aesthetic could be limiting to the creative side of fashion, but the creation of more creative trends and the social acceptance of more extravagant pieces actually allow designers to explore their creativity and artistic inspirations.
‘Resort’ as a fashion term is more than anything an excuse to explore every aspect of our style, regardless of the weather, our day-to-day life, and the setting we find ourselves in. It is a trend that is meant to expand your horizons and make you dream of all the possibilities the world and life can offer, all through the lenses of fashion. Especially the area of sustainable clothing, which Dimitri Loiseau has pointed out to be one of the key elements in 2024 resort designs.
The fact that we buy clothes to present our holidays on social media as aesthetically as possible may seem like proof of a ‘superficial’ society. However, it can also be interpreted as evidence of our desire to suit fashion to our lifestyle and take advantage of our little escapes away from our bureaucratic lives to explore every side of our personality.
‘Resort 2024’ is an exhibition of the possibilities of life and a statement of not settling with what is practical but rather looking for what truly makes our imagination run loose.
How Should We Embrace It?
During my conversation with Mr. Loiseau, we discussed the easy adaptability of ‘resort’ pieces to body types and lifestyles, so it is only appropriate for me to share some of the tips and tricks on how to dress ‘resort’ this season.
Following the easy-flowing style, Dimitri Loiseau recommends “loose shirts and easy-fit shorts” paired with sneakers or sandals to achieve that laid-back, effortlessly cool style. As for women, beachwear and loose maxi dresses are the perfect pieces during the day, but loose shirts that can be paired with belts and blazers are the best fit for ‘resort’ nightlife looks.
For further inspiration, the celebrities we have seen best take on this style are Margot Robbie, Sofia Vergara, Lily Collins, and Khloe Kardashian, amongst others. So feel free to exploit social media to optimize your ‘resort’ styling!
