This summer’s most joyful trend? Dressing like you’re going to an Italian garden party
Of all the “core” fashion trends that social media is touting for this summer, surely the latest is the most appealing.
“Italian garden party core”, essentially, requires the adopter to waft around in a botanical printed dress, give the air of someone rich, carefree and having a nice time, and likely accessorise with a glass of prosecco. I’d channel this over “tennis core” or “cowboy core” any day.
The name was coined by heiress Nicky Hilton Rothschild on her Instagram page - she captioned a picture of herself attending the annual arts preservation Save Venice Gala with the phrase, and some obligatory floral emojis. Hilton Rothschild was wearing a pale green chiffon gown with a yellow poppy print by Oscar de la Renta - she could just as easily have worn the look at a wedding in Lake Como.
While Hilton Rothschild called it, there have been plenty of references on the catwalk at other labels too - Carolina Herrera, Giambattista Valli and Dior have all recently presented whimsical florals on filmy chiffons. You will have witnessed Italian garden party core in action on TV, too - there was Lady Caroline’s Tuscan wedding in season three of Succession and then the entire second season of The White Lotus had Taormina as its backdrop with Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya and Meghann Fahy’s Daphne epitomising the look.
To be evocative of an Italian garden party, a dress needs a few stand-out features. Greenery is essential - be that literal olive leaf prints, or vines, or just a more ambiguous nod to the richer and darker colour of European greenery. You might consider a lemon motif (very Sicilian) or a vivid bougainvillea. In terms of fabric, there are two routes to go down; the ethereal chiffons (as per Hilton Rothschild) or a breezy linen. For added authenticity, it would be ideal if the material you wear was actually produced at one of Italy’s luxury mills.
“Lake Como continues to be a beautiful inspiration for me,” says designer Suzannah Crabb, founder of Suzannah London. “I visit there when researching at the Italian cloth mills I work with.”
Vintage plates dress, £165, Kitri
She is also drawn to Tuscany - her new vacation collection features a rich landscape print, applied to Italian silk kaftans, shirt dresses and palazzo trousers.
“Italy offers the most dreamy palette that never stops giving,” she says. “Painterly lemon and jasmine prints feature on a cotton shirt dress and kaftan [in my new collection], and a dream hand-painted Tuscan landscape has been digitally created. For chic Italian polish, I would add buttery tan leather flats and refined straw millinery.”
While Suzannah London’s take on “Italian garden party core” is quite literal, other brands have gone in different directions. Kitri’s new range features vine leaf prints, as well as a quirky trattoria plate pattern - the graphic design includes nods to olives and lemons, tomatoes and mozzarella; all the ingredients for a delicious caprese, on your dress.
Dolce & Gabbana’s new Flower Power Collection is rendered in lemon yellow roses - the accessories to match include signature Sicily bags in yellow and green, espadrille wedges with floral ribbon ties, and twill silk scarves.
For those who prefer to avoid loud prints, the label Mondo Corsini will help you to still channel the mood. Founder Susan Corsini was inspired this summer by trips with her Italian family to Costa Smeralda, “a playground for high-living Europeans in the 1960s”.
Mariam linen dress, £340, Mondo Corsini
“An Italian garden party is such a wonderful excuse to ramp up the drama,” Corsini says. “I always lean towards exaggerated silhouettes - dresses with billowing sleeves and skirts at lawn-sweeping lengths.”
Corsini says that the styling trick to note is a balancing act; either go for a maximalist print with minimalist accessories, or a block colour dress and statement earrings. Her linen dresses come in pastel clay colours to match your villa, as well as in bolder hibiscus flower prints.
“I love the idea of elevating a floor-length linen kaftan or column dress for evening with swept back hair and statement jewellery,” she says. “When not wearing my own brand, I’ll opt for a classic print from La Double J or Borgo de Nor and keep the accessories simple.”
Dressing for a dream holiday destination (even if you’re still very much at home in the UK) is a guaranteed mood lifter. Go for garden party glam, whatever the occasion - and pop open the prosecco.
Dress for the warm Mediterranean sun...
Summer posy gown, £375, Needle & Thread; Vine skirt, £120, Kitri; Lemon beaded bag, £70, The Jacksons
Linen dress, £200, Pink City Prints; Twill silk scarf, £250, Dolce & Gabbana
