‘It’s about that pale sun yellow of the morning going through to the bright blue sky of the afternoon,’ explains Paul Smith of the inspiration for his London label’s S/S 2022 menswear offering, The designer expressed his longing for his holiday home in Lucca, Tuscany through nostalgic numbers, like breezy tailoring and sunflower print shirting. The tones synonymous with balmy escape – the magenta hues of a tropical cocktail, the sugary pink of refreshing sorbet, and the zesty orange of sunset – turned up the heat on the catwalks, which celebrated the care-free frivolity of out-of-office ensembles, and served up a spectrum of beach-ready silhouettes for your suitcase.
The best men's beachwear for tropical escapes
Top, Jacket, £1,000; trousers, £410, Paul Smith. Bottom, Bag, price on request, Loewe
Top of our paradisal packing list? Prada’s floral motif towelling jacket serves as a tactile post-swim cover-up, while the Milanese brand’s signature nylon bucket hat, imagined in mouthwatering lime, will protect you from unwanted midday rays. Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons were particularly captivated by the beach for S/S 2022, with the former describing the experience of relaxing on the sea shore as ‘utopian’. At Loewe, creative director Jonathan Anderson’s evoked the bohemian decadence of Ibiza, and the energetic neons and high energy hues of the party island’s famous rave culture. The Spanish brand’s tangerine beach bag, which resembles a fabulous fishing net, sets the tone for indulgent escape.
Like Paul Smith, Hermès’ Véronique Nichanian was also keen to bask in the benefits of Vitamin D. The French maison’s menswear offering celebrated luxuriant holiday items, from relaxed shirting to Bermuda shorts, rope belts to floral intarsia knits. Most meditative is the brand’s coordinating twinset cardigan and jumper, which resembles the rich tones of a tropical sunset or a fuschia Gin Fizz. We’ll be drinking it in all summer.
INFORMATION
A version of this article is featured in the March 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands now and available to subscribers
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