30+ Resort ’17 Looks We Would Actually Wear On Vacation

The current state of the fashion calendar is, to put it lightly, a bit uncertain, with many designers pledging their commitment to see-now-buy-now, and others sticking with the tradition of showing clothes a full season ahead of when you can actually find them in stores. The conversation is put on hold, for the most part (Michael Kors is a rare exception) when many brands head out on holiday, a.k.a. show their resort or cruise offerings.

These collections are by far the chicest interpretation of what people wear when they go on vacation. As far as how we consume them, the formats range from lookbook-only reveals to far-flung, buzzy destination trips, featuring your favorite editors and influencers (and a whole lot of Instagram fodder). In some cases, as with Dior in England and Chanel in Cuba, houses stage whole branded productions that, for better or for worse, are as much about the backdrop as they are about the clothes. In contrast, Louis Vuitton's decision to show in Brazil — while hitting both the topical and trendy marks — was a strategic move for the business.

Despite all the recent conversation surrounding who should show what when, resort seems to be staying put, partly because of the market opportunity it creates during a lull between the bigger spring and fall seasons. These in-between collections might account for as much as 35% of a label's annual sales, as of 2013, the Independent reported. That same year, Barneys New York EVP and general merchandising manager of womenswear Jennifer Sunwoo said that resort and pre-seasons made up "anywhere from 60 to 90% of the total order for the season," according to Fashionista.

Designer burnout is, of course, a very real concern — but brands keep churning out unique interpretations of what "resort" or "cruise" looks like for their target customer. So, we may as well ask: Where, oh where, would one wear these OOO outfits? This year's offerings run the gamut of things you'd actually wear on vacation, and outfits that make us ponder where these high-end customers choose to spend their time off. So, we took it upon ourselves to dream up all the lavish locales we'd wear our favorite resort '17 looks, involving the beach and beyond. Check out the best of the batch, ahead.