Why the Riviera Fashion Trend Should Be on Your Mood Board

Even though I am writing this on a grey, spring day in West London, my mind is firmly focused on a summer in the Mediterranean. No, I haven’t booked a holiday (quite yet), but all signs are pointing to the fact that this year is gearing up to be all about the Riviera summer. Allow me to set the scene: turquoise seas, salty air, cobbled streets and waterfront cafés, the picturesque stretch between southeast France and northwest Italy is undeniably aesthetically pleasing, but it’s also setting the tone for a burgeoning fashion trend.

Drawing straight from the 1950s’ and 1960s’ slow, European lifestyle, designers and street-style stars are leaning into the romanticism of a Riviera summer. Think print, colour, slimline silhouettes, swimsuits and sarongs in place of string bikinis—and, dare I say, kitten heels over flip-flops. In short, if it looks like it could be sat on the back of a Vespa or draped on a yacht with a pair of cat-eye sunnies, it’s exactly the right mood.

Take, for example, the spring/summer 2026 runways. At Jacquemus, models wore their hair back in headscarves, pairing leggings with ankle-tied shoes, and over at Pucci, white shirts with upturned collars were tucked into pencil skirts, the iconic kaleidoscopic prints worn head-to-toe and finished with matching mini bags. After last summer’s pyjama pants and boyfriend shirt energy, 2026 is bringing back the art of dressing up with aplomb.