At this point in the year, certain tropes of summer dressing become unavoidable – batik, florals, raffia and some of the more “tropical” animal prints, such as tiger and zebra. But this year the fashion memo comes with some new offerings – or very old offerings, revived with modern twists. A lot of them hail from the 60s and 70s and sit at the cross-section of hippie and bohemian culture. The mood is vintage Glastonbury or Woodstock, homespun and crafty, only elevated. It is tie-dye, fringing and, my personal favourite, crochet.
The summer crochet knit used to be one of those things to which I was mildly allergic. Why wear something so thick during the hottest months of the year? Not to mention the fact it can look bulky. For all my body positivity, I couldn’t get past the way it added textured lumps to my boobs and hips.
Then the spring/summer 2019 catwalk shows rolled around. Altuzarra did crochet in long, lithe, fishnet-style dresses with jangly seashell embellishments that made the models look like swanky mermaids on their way to a fortnight in Capri. JW Anderson’s crochet came in a more swingy shape, but no less cool and skin-revealing, exactly the thing you would want to wear in a heat wave. Chloé and Oscar de la Renta also made a strong case for reconsidering the summer knit with shapes that were fluid and lean. I wanted in.
So here I am, wearing crochet for the first time in my adult life and enjoying it. That is mostly down to my choice of dress: a multicoloured, body-skimming style by Staud, the California-based brand known for its cult bucket bags, but worth paying attention to for its impressive spin on retro summer style.
The beauty of this dress lies in its versatility: I would feel just as great in this at Notting Hill carnival (styled up with a pair of Birkenstocks, enormous hoop earrings and a slew of gold chains from my summer rotation) as I would at work (where I would wear the Ancient Greek sandals I am wearing here). I had similar luck finding good fashion-crochet when browsing at Zara and Ganni.
The key to feeling at ease is to go long in a slim shape, or short with a clear A-line. Flats tend to look best; a stiletto would undermine that relaxed, carefree mood. At this point in the summer, who wants to dress for anything other than that?
• Kenya Hunt is the deputy editor of Elle magazine. She wears dress, £295, by Staud, from matchesfashion.com. Earrings and sandals Kenya’s own
