What to Wear at Splendido
A suitcase that needs packing can be a daunting prospect. In our new ‘Location Dressing’ series, style expert Osman Ahmed tells us exactly what to wear at five of our most stylish places. Our first stop? Splendido, in Portofino.
The Italian Riviera is a portal to another world; a bygone era of Hollywood glamour and aristocratic grandeur. Think Jackie Onassis in her capri pants and silk scarves, Marella Agnelli in her jewels and kaftans and, of course, Elizabeth Taylor. Perhaps the most glamorous of them all, Taylor returned time and time again to Splendido, Portofino, both before and after she was proposed to by Richard Burton – the first time – on one of the hotel’s bloom-clad terraces. Husbands come and go but, like her jewels, the sparkle of Splendido is forever. Where else in the world can you spot couture by the swimming pool and go from a yacht cruising down the Ligurian coast to a simple yet spectacular plate of pesto?
‘Sprezzatura’ is the word that comes to mind: an Italian term for a sort of studied nonchalance and the charming ease of a sleeve pushed up, or a silk scarf casually tied around the head. Italian coastal elegance isn’t about rigid, stiff, structured clothes but rather an easy-breezy glamour that still oozes refinement. Life in these parts is centred around the tourmaline-coloured sea and your days should ideally be spent emerging out of it. For that, take a cue from Taylor and go for glamorous cover-ups, such as colourful linen kaftans that you can throw over your bathing suit or, for the gents, easy button-up silk shirts.
The sorbet-coloured sunsets are a sight to behold, and you might want to take a stroll along the Piazzetta before a candlelit dinner overlooking the bay. It’s in those moments that a touch of opulence – a dramatic pair of earrings, a bright silk dress, a vivid shirt – can be thrown together with simple summertime basics. Simple, but still entirely splendid.
Photo credits: Benjamin Pexton
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