Mamma Mia, it’s holiday (wardrobe) time again
We all know the best chuck-ons are ones found in a back-alley shop
Look, I wasn’t expecting to find style notes from a film hinged on the joie de vivre and inclusion of extraordinarily pertinent Abba lyrics and music, but you find it where you find it. So here we are. First though, if you haven’t booked tickets for Mamma
Mia! Here We Go Again – do it now. Do it before you read any further. Until you’ve watched Cher glide down a staircase, in full Jewish-nana-metallics, serenading Andy Garcia with
Fernando… well, in the words of Belinda Carlisle, heaven really is a place on earth.
You back? Great. I think the first lesson to take is that the Seventies is really the starting point of what I would pinpoint as The Core Look of Summer: a peasant-y embroidered top and denim shorts; something wafty in an Indian cotton; floppy hats, plentiful embroidery… I mean, obviously, there are exceptions.
But let’s gloss over the fact that it was the decade that ultimately holds responsibility for the unsightly mess that is “Coachella style”. And yes, flicking through some of the fringed offerings for sale, it is, to paraphrase my mother on recent temperatures – “worse than 1976”. But, somewhere between Stevie Nicks and Karen Carpenter is our sweet spot.
Now, the narrative of the film is split between the Seventies and present day. Yes, I’m getting to the clothes. Lily James (playing Meryl Streep the younger and quite the singer, as it turns out, who knew!) flits about in a blouse that I could easily snap up from this season’s Chloé if I had a spare grand or so… her burnt orange, tiered skirt with dark grey T-shirt is also good. She knots the T-shirt up to crop it, which we shall ignore for our purposes, but it’s a look that the fashion flotsam on Instagram will be itching to steal. Let’s do it first – I’m rather pleased with this discovery from Star Mela, Phase Eight has a similar-ish one (£45, debenhams.com), but it is quite a bit brighter – I’d tone it down a bit. But you may feel differently.
As the film flits back between the polyester past and the here and now, it is a study of the perfect holiday wardrobe. For one: Amanda Seyfried does a very good “what to wear to look smart and work-y efficient in the heat” – in an excellent white and blue vertically striped shirt with an off-white jean. I loved it! Note the off-white jeans.
Bright white, I mean look, if it’s your thing, it’s your thing, and I’m sure it doesn’t matter how many pictures of Nineties-era Liz Hurley I bring up, you’re wedded to them and that’s that.
But… if you’re toying with the idea but aren’t quite ready for that full bleach-bum commitment, a dusky cream is very chic. Mih has a great pair, as has Raey at matchesfashion. com (£145 for a wide leg pair, and £140 for a straight leg in a pretty soft blush). I would counsel that when it comes to a pale trouser, fit is intrinsic, therefore worth spending more, IMHO. Where you don’t have to spend much is on a cotton kaftan (you’ll be keen for Julie Walter’s pretty patterned version). I mean you can spend A LOT. But look at this lovely Boden one! Really, I think we all know that the best beach chuck-ons are ones found in a back-alley shop, along the street, round the corner from the good olive stall at the market in the town you can’t remember the name of…
Failing a visit to that cherished haunt, Pink City Prints is worth your time. Everything is (ethically) made in Jaipur (hence the brand name), it’s kaftan-style printed dresses are exquisite, and I think rather reasonable for their provenance. Plus they’ll work very well in town, for the office, etc.
Of course, a glamorous kaftan – see Christine Baranski (God, I love her) – will never not afford you the benefit of doing a good Gloria Swanson poolside impression (off-decade I know). For this, see Juliet Dunn, who is an established beach boutique (stocked at Le Club 55) favourite for very good reason – she knows just how much glitz to inject into a floaty pretty thing while remaining on the right side of good taste.
Espadrilles are an absolute summer necessity for me, and if you’re bored of the cheap supermarket ones falling apart as soon as you get home, consider a posher version. Drilles, set up by fashion journalist Amy Williams, has quite beautiful, soft leather versions in an array of pretty colours, all handmade in Spain (drilles.com).
I’m also taken with Soludos, a New York bit-of-a-buzz brand. These tan sandals are a cut above, it’s also got some very fun designs with elephant’s bottom embroideries and all sorts. Take a look if you like a bit of whimsy with your evening passeggiata.
One more thing from the film that really made me feel, well, jealous: James and Seyfried’s tonged, tousled flaxen hair perfection (although, side note: as if anyone had hair that smooth in the actual Seventies). It caused me to consider that as we edge up to the end of our own decade, are tonged loose curls the biggest fashion take-away? In spite of this, I don’t think our holidays need to be concerned with glossy, perfect locks. Like Colin Firth’s vocal range, some things are best left on screen.