The Resort 2026 Formalwear Collections Were a Trip — Find Out Where to

Rhode Island’s historic homes built by the Vanderbilts, Astors and their ilk laid the foundation for Pamella Roland’s ode to Gilded Age opulence.

The look: Old-money Newport “trad wife”

Quote of note: “The resort collection captures the affluence and coastal charm that characterized America’s original summer elite, blending historical richness with modern refinement,” Roland said in an email. 

Standout pieces: A minidress made of cut plexiglass pieces arranged like French formal garden from an aerial view; a romper and matching tuxedo jacket in baby blue brocade; a wispy pink watercolor organza halter top and matching floor-length skirt; a silk A-line with raised cummerbund waist in black-and-white polka-dot print; a scarlet sweetheart gown and capelet with dégradé gazaar rose petals and pearl and bugle-beading.

Takeaway: While not as sparkly as her gala looks, Roland’s preppier dresses and tailoring shone the brightest here, perfect for teatimes, polo matches and regattas on the bay. 

Fashion may have moved on from “Palm Royale” to its current streaming fix, “The White Lotus,” but no matter, midcentury South Floridian style is designer Alexandra O’Neill’s favorite reference.

The look: 1960s debutante in a Slim Aarons picture.

Quote of note: “I’m late to the game, but I finally chose to watch ‘Palm Royale’ because it looked beautifully done,” O’Neill said of last year’s hit Apple TV+ series set in Palm Beach. “I decided on doing a true holiday and resortwear collection,” she continued, pointing out wintery velvet trims and summery silk separates. “I kind of mixed it all together to give people lots of options.” 

Standout pieces: Shrunken pastel cashmere twinsets — O’Neill’s vintage sweater collection inspired these — worn with draped brocade pencil skirts; leather outerwear with Camellia flower quilting; a wisteria-colored cloqué organza lady jacket and strapless tea-length dance dress; a modish fringed mini and skirt set with holographic “bath-bubble” sequins; saucy cocktail frocks and tulip-shaped gowns in painterly florals.

The takeaway: O’Neill continues to offer nostalgia with a light touch for pretty-young-things who don’t take themselves too seriously. 

A Bulgarian model marrying an Indian couturier? Sounds like a fairy tale, but for Khan, it’s reality. So smitten is he with his fiancée, the designer wove their two cultures together for resort.

The look: Slavic siren with folksy touches.

Quote of note: Over the phone, Khan brought up his recent engagement, saying “I’d gone to visit her parents, and that’s how it all started. I fell in love with the churches there and all the art and the history of the country…so it’s basically inspired by Bulgaria, but mixing it with my Indian heritage and creating something new.” 

Standout pieces: A tiered crochet raffia mermaid gown in the same fiery pink and orange hues as the Rila Monastery; abstract Kilim carpet-inspired sequin dresses; a crystallized black Maharaja swing coat with velvet palazzo trousers; cold-shoulder peasant blouses worn over matching floor-length evening skirts with folksy gold or rainbow-colored threadwork.

The takeaway: Khan’s intricate textiles are always exquisite, but it was refreshing to see him work these into silhouettes with a different cultural flavor other than his own. Hopefully, the wanderlust continues.

From the red carpet to the magic carpet, Reem Acra’s resort collection was a Turkish delight.

The look: House of Ossman meets House of Windsor.

Quote of note: “Resort is about a trip to the souks in Turkey, bringing together East and West, so there’s a little bit of an element from my past,” said Acra, who grew up in nearby Lebanon. “You’d see the market through the colors of spices, and then it’s a flower market as well, so you see a little bit of florals everywhere.” New for Acra, the latter appeared in abstract prints as well as delicate threadwork, which referenced traditional Ottoman bedspreads.

Standout pieces: Tea-length evening coats in Acra’s favorite silk Mikado; chiffon caftans and pleated maxis with Moorish crystal beading in Saffron and Tumeric shades; Statuesque tent dresses in cooler stone tones offset by fit-to-flares in marbleized jacquard; slinky Old-Hollywood gowns in pastel blue and pink, bedazzled and feathered for the gods.

The takeaway: The caftan queen lived up to that name here. These remain her most alluring proposition, infused with bohemian ease and regal sophistication.   

With referencing botanical photographer Imogen Cunningham, Lela Rose’s flower-filled lineup packed in the rustic charms of French country. 

The look: Provençal picnic hostess

Quote of note: “When we approached this season, we loved Cunningham’s focus on the form of flowers and wanted to expand on the fabric manipulation we’ve had so much success with,” Rose said. 

Standout pieces: Plaid silk separates: thread embroidered cardigans worn with poplin drop-waist skirts; yellow and navy cinched-waist column gowns in faille and neutral crepe day dresses with upside-down wildflower prints; a ruched bustier trouser set in wine-colored brocade; a tiered macramé fringe LBD; a dreamy blush organza godet gown with puffed sleeves and crystal flowers.  

The takeaway: Wearable? Oui. Pretty? Oui oui, but this collection lacked the imaginative quirks that make Rose distinguishable. There is such a thing as too much good taste.

The evolving verdant landscape of Odisha bore creative fruit for Mohapatra who returned there after more than 20 years to settle the estate of his family’s rice farm. 

The look: Boom-boom Bhumi, the Hindu mother Earth

Quote of note: “As kids we would be shipped to Odisha, which was very rural. There was no electricity, just thatched-roof houses and rice fields that went into the sea,” recalled Mohapatra over Zoom. “It was really quite spectacular, so there are two stories: one is the rice bloom when we start our summer before the monsoon season. That’s the second: the monsoon with the rain cascading down.”

Standout pieces: Collarless pagoda-shoulder jackets worn over lehengas, one in netted navy Jasmine lace and another in gilded green floral brocade; split-color deconstructed Sari dresses;  a black bell-shaped mini in Japanese cady and a navy tulle pleated maxi with Art Deco “rice bloom” beading; a 1920s drop-waist blouson gown in teal mousseline with zigzagging “monsoon” droplet embroidery. 

The takeaway: Mohapatra’s harsh ’80s-looking neck and hip treatments didn’t quite capture the elegance of traditional Indian formalwear. Rather, his wispier gowns with a 1920s feel were more subtly appealing.