Resort 2013: collections round-up

The terminology is 'Resort' or 'Cruise'. But their breezy connotations belie the gravitas of the collections bridging fashion's Fall and Spring offerings. Once seen as the neither-here-nor-there wardrobe solutions brought out by fashion houses for those holidaying in hot climates during the cold months - the Resort collections are now so much more than a bunch of 'summer clothes you can buy in winter'.

Resort is serious business, accounting for a sizeable proportion of a label's revenue, which means designers are dedicating more time to creating pieces which reaffirm a label's aesthetic. The fact that the collections get a longer stint on the shop floor (from November to April) means that buyers too are confidently making investments in the collections, knowing that a return is guaranteed.

Pegged as the versatile, wearable, harder-working alternative to the show-stoppers fashion brands bring out for their Fall and Spring collections, Resort provides a practical commercial solution in the fast paced fashion world, with new pieces meeting consumers' needs in winter before the delivery of the Spring collections. Here, we bring you some of the highlights for Resort 2013.

Givenchy

Ricardo Tisci’s Spring ode to gypsy life juxtaposed clean, sculptural white, black and red silhouettes on his silk satin, twill or jersey outfits with a riotous patchwork of print

Marc Jacobs

A show-stopping shot of colour, print and proportion, Marc Jacobs’s heart-in-your-mouth Resort collection was inspired by Cindy Sherman’s series of clown portraits, according to head Women’s designer Joseph Carter. The best examples were the puffball floral skirts layered below belted checkerboard cardigans, and multi-coloured degradé floral dresses worn over matching wide-legged trousers for a head-to-toe floral assault. Arresting too were a jigsaw-effect satin maxi dress and linear knit dresses that were horizontally emblazoned with graphic sequin strips

Fendi

Forget the trouser, the Fendi woman is all about the skirt. Whether it was short or mid-length, in muted or electric shades, sporting a graph paper pattern or accessorised with bags with muticoloured fur attachments, Karl Lagerfeld made sure it came with the ultimate leg enhancer: double thigh slits

Salvatore Ferragamo

'Racy' is the last word you'd think to associate with a collection with barely any skin on show. But Massimiliano Giornetti needn’t worry. Dressing his models in a monochromatic palette of creams, whites, and sandy nudes, the Italian creative director laced up, fringed, leather-bound and even crocheted his dresses, pairing these with slick thigh-high boots. Meanwhile tops, leather jackets and trousers were suitably perforated with silver rings, giving everything an edgy sensual spin

Céline

With Phoebe Philo on hand to masterfully manoeuvre proportion and cut, the Céline girl has contemporary chic covered. For Resort 2013, Philo brought out reworked versions of the house favourites. Boxy, sculptural shapes? Tick. Lashings of leather? Tick. Wide-legged trousers with graphic contrasting hem? Oh yes. Tailoring-focused draped shapes? Of course. When the formula works this well, who’s complaining?

Bottega Veneta

Cruise', according to creative director Tomas Maier, 'must be exceptionally versatile, a collection that serves many needs.' To that end, he offered something for everyone, from colour block tracksuits and whimsical bow-front shoes to jersey gowns and intense monochromatic outfits in pink, yellow and green, underpinning it all with a relaxed silhouette and fluid lines in a collection that referenced the frescoes of Veronese and Tiepolo

Calvin Klein Collection

22 looks succinctly summed up creative director Francisco Costa’s take on American modernism, with clean, minimal sportswear-infused linear silhouettes. A dose of sexiness was injected into an otherwise architectural collection by way of the sheer gauze and chiffon dresses with strategically-placed cut-outs.

Stella McCartney

We’re not quite sure how the mind-boggling combination of leopard print, fluorescent florals, citrus jacquards, menswear-inspired madras check, faux alligator and delicate fringed silk cotton lace all came together so effectively in Stella McCartney’s exuberant offering for Spring. But somehow this wearable celebration of colour, print and texture just works

Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld was literally holding court at the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines in Château de Versailles. The collection was all about 18th Century French frivolity - hammered home by the over-riding pastel palette, the models’ heavily-rouged faces and the exaggerated pannier (side-hoop) silhouette seen in just about everything from dresses to shorts and culottes. Paired with candy-coloured boy-chic trainers, the whimsical collection had a touch of 21st Century modernity

Jonathan Saunders

Colour and print are key to Jonathan Saunders' creative canvas, and this daywear-heavy collection was as much about the eye-popping ombré polka dot print that appeared on shift dresses and skirts, as the bold pairing of colour-ways - like the edible tomato red polo jumper spliced with a pea-green jacquard trouser

Louis Vuitton

Women's design director Julie de Libran's Indochine-inspired collection pivoted on the sort of loose-fitting silhouettes that would look right at home on Catherine Deneuve's French colonial period film set in 1930s-50s French Indochine. Think drop-waisted tunic dresses layered over cropped wide-legged trousers, straw visors, and broderie anglaise accents (sequinned and modernised for Spring, one came styled with a dotted waistcoat and matching flared trousers). All these came in a warm brown, lilac, pink and white colour palette  

Pringle of Scotland

Alistar Carr's final resort offering for the Scottish heritage brand he joined in 2011 is a Palm Springs-inspired collection, instilled with the clean, directional aesthetic that he's become so known for. In Carr's hands, the brand's signature shapes and designs are given an injection of cool without losing that all-important heritage factor, like the pearlised patent leather colour-blocked jackets and skirts, or the argyle-inspired diamond cut-out cardigans

Gucci

The 1970s may be the decade that style forgot, but in Frida Giannini’s hands the designer’s favourite aesthetic is always a sophisticated one - think elongated belted jackets and flare trouser styles paired with silk gauze blouses. Giannini’s contemporary reinterpretation of the house’s Flora pattern jumped straight out from a real-flower backdrop onto the likes of a short lightweight retro-shaped tunic dress and tapered loose-fitting trousers

Proenza Schouler

Relaxed, oversized slouchy silhouettes dominated the floor at Proenza Schouler, as Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez presented a desirable, wearable collection for Spring. Leather was peppered throughout, whether it was brought out in full – like the baggy collarless jacket paired with a pleated navy skirt – stretched as a trouser, or used as an accent on the oversized tweed coats and skirts

Valentino

Electrifying their canvas with a colour pop of bright pinks, deep greens and sky blues, while at the same time simplifying the silhouette with a reduction of the house signature bows, ruffles and lace, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli made 'colour' the big plot-line in their story for Valentino